A rare diagnosis in emergency department: spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma.

Aksay E., Kiyan S., YÜRÜKTÜMEN A., Kitiş Ö.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, vol.26, no.7, pp.835, 2008 (SCI-Expanded)

  • Publication Type: Article / Case Report
  • Volume: 26 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Journal Name: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.835
  • Akdeniz University Affiliated: No

Abstract

We report a case of a 32-year-old man who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a sudden onset of paraplegia due to spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. Although the patient had a poor neurological condition on presentation, he was successfully operated and discharged without any neurological sequel. Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a rarely seen clinical entity, especially in the ED. Magnetic resonance imaging is the best choice for early diagnosis, and urgent surgical decompression is essential to prevent serious neurological deficits.