Isolated hemangioblastoma of the cervical spinal cord: A case report and literature review

•Isolated hemangioblastomas are rare, benign, slow growing tumors.•Hemangioblastomas may occur in patients with Von-Hippel Lindau disease.•Surgical resection is an appropriate treatment for patients with hemangioblastomas.•Literature review on isolated hemangioblastoma is presented to understand the etiology and management of these tumors.

IntroductionHemangioblastomas are benign, slow growing but highly vascularized tumors of the central nervous system, with the most common location of occurrence in the posterior fossa. Hemangioblastomas usually have an associated with patients that have Von-Hippel Lindau disease, resulting a germline mutation in the VHL tumor suppressor gene. Isolated or sporadic occurrences of hemangioblastomas are much more infrequent and typically respond well after surgery.Presentation of caseWe present case of a 22 year old female with worsening shoulder pain, decreased sensation in the hands and feet, and decreasing strength and was found to have a hemangioblastoma of the cervical spine.DiscussionThe patient was treated with surgery and responded well to treatment. We also present a review of the literature on isolated occurrences of hemangioblastomas of the spinal cord.ConclusionIsolated hemangioblastoma are a rare tumor of the central nervous system and can be managed with surgery.