Abstract
Two cases of acute non-traumatic spinal epidural hemorrhage are reported. Eight additional cases, four of which had a history of minor indirect trauma, have been collected from the literature. In spite of the apparent rarity of the syndrome awareness of its existence should lead to prompt surgical intervention in an effort to aviod permanent paraplegia. Although the etiology of the non-traumatic form of spinal epidural hemorrhage remains obscure, certain factors suggest that rupture of a weak vascular wall in a pre-existing abnormality of the epidural venous plexus may be the pathogenetic mechanism of this acute spinal cord syndrome. These factors are: (1) pathological evidence of the focal occurrence of two types of vascular abnormalities, venous varicosities and telangiectases in the epidural space; (2) the clinical anatomy of the vertebral venous system, in which the absence of valves permits rapid transmission of increased venous pressure from intra-abdominal and pelvic veins to epidural veins; and (3) the history of some form of straining effort immediately preceding the onset of symptoms in eight of the ten reported cases of spinal epidural hemorrhage.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call