Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma presented with Brown-Séquard syndrome: a case report.

Abstract

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma has rarely been reported in the literature. This present study is of a case of a 75-year-old woman who had a sudden onset of neck pain with the accompanying right hemiplegia of Brown-Sequard syndrome, and urinary retention for 3 days prior to surgery. The patient had used long term Sedes treatment for arthropathy of bilateral hips and no trauma history was found at this episode. Computered tomography (CT) of the cervical spine showed an epidural hematoma over the right posterior aspect of C-3 to C-6 with compression of the spinal cord. Myelography of the cervical spine revealed a complete block below the C-4 level. She underwent a posterior total laminectomy of C-3 to C-7 with evacuation of the hematoma. Upon discharge, only mild residual numbness of the left leg remained. The follow-up of cervical myelography showed the spinal canal was patent. The authors conclude that high resolution CT scanning and surgical treatment are crucial to the outcome of such surgery.