General Findings
- Average size of the tumor is 1 cm or less.
- Extension to pia: The solid portion of the tumor will typically extend to the pia with majority going to dorsal surface (5).
- Cysts are present in more than 50% of patients with these tumors. When present, the solid portion of the tumor will be a nodule coming off the cyst wall.
- Flow voids are commonly seen in tumors that are larger than 1.5 cm.
T1-Weighted Sequence
- Iso-, hypo- or mixed-intensity.
- Blurred margins due to infiltrative nature of tumor.
- Gadolinium enhances: The solid portion of the tumor will vividly enhance in a homogeneous manor if the tumor is less than 1 cm in diameter. When the tumor is larger, the enhancement will be heterogeneous.
T1-weighted MRI with gadolinium enhancement of an intramedullary hemangioblastoma:
T2-Weighted Sequence
- Hypointense: Hemangioblastomas will appear hypointense on T2-weighted sequences and commonly there will be a surrounding hyperintensity due to the edema in the cord.
T2-weighted MRI of an intramedullary hemangioblastoma:
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