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Spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma: a case report and literature review

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Abstract

Spinal epidural hematoma is a rare neurosurgical emergency in respect of motor and sensory loss. Identifiable reasons for spontaneous hemorrhage are vascular malformations and hemophilias. We presented a case of spontaneous epidural hematoma in an 18-year-old female patient who had motor and sensory deficits that had been present for 1 day. On MRI, there was spinal epidural hematoma posterior to the T2–T3 spinal cord. The hematoma was evacuated with T2 hemilaminectomy and T3 laminectomy. Patient recovered immediately after the surgery. Literature review depicted 112 pediatric cases (including the presented one) of spinal epidural hematoma. The female/male ratio is 1.1:2. Average age at presentation is 7.09 years. Clinical presentations include loss of strength, sensory disturbance, bowel and bladder disturbances, neck pain, back pain, leg pain, abdominal pain, meningismus, respiratory difficulty, irritability, gait instability, and torticollis. Most common spinal level was cervicothoracic spine. Time interval from symptom onset to clinical diagnosis varied from immediate to 18 months. Spinal epidural hematoma happened spontaneously in 71.8 % of the cases, and hemophilia was the leading disorder (58 %) in the cases with a definable disorder. Partial or complete recovery is possible after surgical interventions and factor supplementations.

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Acknowledgments

Murat Şakir Ekşi, M.D. was supported by a grant from Tubitak (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), grant number: 1059B191400255.

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All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Neurosurgery, National Center of Oncology, Baku, Azerbaijan

    Rasim Babayev

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery-Spine Center, University of California at San Francisco, 500 Parnassus Avenue MU320 West, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0728, USA

    Murat Şakir Ekşi

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Babayev, R., Ekşi, M.Ş. Spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma: a case report and literature review. Childs Nerv Syst 32, 181–187 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-015-2768-5

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