Should angiography be done in suspected tuberculosis of spine in an endemic country? – Hemangioma masquerading as tuberculosis of spine

Background: Spinal lesions with features of compressive myelopathy and radiological images showing signal enhancement in the vertebral body and paravertebral regions raise the suspicion of spinal tuberculosis, mainly in an endemic/developing country. Methods: Here we present a rare case of a lesion mimicking spinal tuberculosis. The further excision, decompression and spinal fixation were performed after a biopsy. Results: The lesion in the case was confirmed as hemangioma, which was clearly diagnosed by means of digital substraction angiography. Conclusion: This work highlights the use of angiography as an important preoperative diagnostic tool for spinal diseases.