An Unusual Case of a Large Hematorrachis Associated with Multi-Level Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures; a Case Report

Document Type : CASE REPORT

Authors

1 Department of Orthopaedics in MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, Karnataka

2 MS Ramaiah Medical College

3 Consultant Spine Surgeon in Sparsh Hospital, Bangalore

4 MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore

Abstract

Spinal epidural haemorrhage may present as back pain associated with radicular symptoms and can be a catastrophic clinical scenario with progression to paraplegia or even sudden death. Being a rare entity, it needs a high index ofclinical suspicion to diagnose it. Fractures have been documented as a cause of hematorrachis but such hematomas only extend to one or two vertebral segments. Large epidural hematomas are usually associated with conditions like bleeding diathesis, arterio-venous malformations, plasma cell myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Surgical management with immediate evacuation of the hematoma is the usual line of management in patients with neurological deficits. Though rare, monitored and careful conservative management can lead to recovery of neurological symptoms and resolution of the hematoma. We report a case of a very large post traumatic epidural hematorrchis extending to 11 vertebral segments from D3 to L1 vertebral bodies, who had a gradual spontaneous recovery.

Keywords


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