Study design:

Evaluation of the surgical effects of patients with intramedullary spinal cord cavernous angiomas (CAs).

Objectives:

To assess the sensory and motor deficits in the clinical symptoms of patients with intramedullary CAs after complete surgical resection.

Setting:

Seoul National University Hospital, Korea.

Methods:

The authors reviewed 14 patients with intramedullary spinal cord CAs who underwent surgical resection between 1995 and 2006. The average follow-up duration was 55.045.1 months. To analyze the changes in the patients' symptoms after surgery, the ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) and JOA (Japanese Orthopedic Association) scoring systems were used at different time points: preoperative, postoperative and during the final follow-up period.

Results:

The patients' mean ASIA score at follow-up was increased in comparison to the preoperative score (97.25.3 vs 95.27.6, P=0.201), but this difference was not significant.

The mean JOA motor score at follow-up was slightly increased in comparison to the preoperative score (7.21.3 vs 6.81.3, P=0.107). There was a significant difference between the patients' preoperative and follow-up JOA sensory score (4.31.0 vs 4.90.9, P=0.007). The rates of complete resolution of motor and sensory deficits were 45.5% (5/11 patients) and 7.1% (1/14 patients), respectively.

Conclusion:

Although complete surgical resection could improve the clinical symptoms of intramedullary CAs, the sensory deficits usually remain in the long-term period after complete resection.