Epidural lipomatosis simulating a spinal extradural haematoma

Idiopathic spinal epidural lipomatosis.

Spinal epidural lipomatosis is a rare disorder characterized by the pathological overgrowth of epidural fat and often causes extradural compression which may mimic other spinal disorders. Steroid administration is a well-documented etiology. We report a case of spinal epidural lipomastosis without history of steroid administration. The initial manifestation was bizarre and was misdiagnosed as a...

Spinal or Epidural Haematoma

Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis in Korean

Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) is a rare disorder, regarded in literature as a consequence of administration of exogenous steroids, associated with a variety of systemic diseases, endocrinopathies and the Cushing's syndrome. Occasionally, SEL may occur in patients not exposed to steroids or suffering from endocrinopathies, namely, idiopathic SEL. Thus far, case studies of SEL among Korean ha...

Spinal extradural haematoma: report of two cases.

Case I A 66 year old woman was sitting quietly at home when she experienced a sharp pain in the epigastrium and in the region of the lower thoracic spine. She was admitted to hospital and over the next 24 hours the epigastric pain settled but the thoracic pain became worse. After 36 hours she was found to have developed a paraparesis with urinary retention. On admission to the neurosurgical uni...

Spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma: a cautionary tale.

Less than two hundred cases of spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma (SSEH) have been reported in the literature and theories as to its genesis are diverse. It is a serious condition, especially if there is a delay in diagnosis, as early treatment confers marked prognostic advantage. We present a case report of a 68-year-old male who was diagnosed as having a spinal epidural haematoma, followed...