Background: Angiolipomas are considered to be rare. They are benign mesenchymal tumors generally located in the subcutaneous tissue of trunk and limbs.
Methods: The authors report a thoracic epidural angiolipoma mimicking a vertebro-epidural metastasis. The patient suffered from medullary compression related to an extradural mass in T6.
Results: Pathological ex-, amination was obtained from tumoral samples. They consisted of mature adipose tissue with numerous sections of abnormal vascular channels.
Conclusions: Reviewing literature particular attention is paid to some questions raised in connection with different kinds of vertebro-epidural tumors. The authors give importance to relationships between angiolipomas and angiomyolipomas using MRI as a tool in differential diagnosis. Pathogenesis is evokated especially regarding the role of corticotherapy, the case herein reported lying within this therapeutical context.