A Case of Spinal Cord Tumor (A-V Malformation): as Unusual Cause of Anginal Chest Pain

Abstract

Spinal cord tumors usually present themselves with severe pain without neurologic deficits during early stages. Cervical or thoracic spinal tumors can evoke anterior neck pain or chest pain without neurologic symptoms. As a result, when chest pain or anterior neck pain occurs initially, many physicians think its origin is a cardiac disorder such as angina. Eventually, during cardiac evaluation and treatment, myelopathy or radiculopathy develops to reveal spinal cord tumor. Even though it is rare, when anterior neck or chest pain is the presenting complaint, the possibility of spinal cord tumors should be considered. We report a case of spinal cord tumor with initial presentations of anginal chest pain and electrocardiographic myocardial ischemic changes (ST segment depression and T-wave inversion in a 45 year old male patient who had no history of hypertension. It was later discovered that the cause was due to an A-V malformation. ( ( ( (Korean Circulation J 1998;28(4 :638-641