Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma

Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma: an alarming and diagnostic challenge in the ED

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

Krishna Prasad
Susan Tharian
Jebu A Thomas

Department of Emergency Medicine, Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India

https://doi.org/10.15171/jept.2018.02
Abstract
Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma (TSEH) is a neurosurgical emergency which is considered as one of the rare causes of back pain. The onset of symptoms presentation can vary especially following a trauma. Here, we report a case where a young girl had a trivial fall and presented symptoms of back pain three days later. She developed abrupt onset of lower limb weakness during her stay in the emergency department (ED). X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the spine did not show any obvious abnormality whereas, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging revealed hyper-intense lesions in the thoracic spinal segment which led to the diagnosis of TSEH. Our case highlights the importance of the atypical and varied nature of presentation and the choice of investigation which would help in the early diagnosis of this entity.

Keywords

Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma
Back pain
Paraperesis
Emergency Department
Subjects
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Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma
Volume 4, Issue 2
July 2018
Pages 89-91

  • Receive Date 03 January 2018
  • Revise Date 09 April 2018
  • Accept Date 09 April 2018

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