Cobb syndrome

Defined as a

Cutaneous vascular malformation (venous or arterial) AND

• Spinal AVM

• Technically, if the skin component is not present, you can’t call it Cobb syndrome — but what it may mean is that the AVM stopped short of the dermis.

• Clinical features
• Spinal angiomas or arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with congenital, cutaneous vascular lesions in the same dermatome



• Physical examination (A) reveals cutaneous port-wine stain (dotted line). Plain film radiographs (B) showing scoliosis (box) and T2-weighted MRI (C) illustrating steal phenomenon (arrows).



• CT angiography(A) indicates enhanced imaging of vascular mass (dotted line), and axial image
• (B) suggests vertebral body destruction (arrow).
• DSA (C) confirms extensive arteriovenous shunt (dotted line).
• The morbidity of the condition is really defined by what happens in the spinal canal.
• Most often, the spinal component is not a fistula, but an AVM