COMPLETE NONSURGICAL RESOLUTION OF A SPONTANEOUS SPINAL EPIDURAL HEMATOMA

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematomas (SSEH) are heralded by spinal pa in and progressive cord compression syndromes which may lead to perman ent neurological disability or death if emergent neurosurgical interve ntion is delayed. It therefore must be considered early in the differe ntial diagnosis of acute spinal cord compression syndrome. A case of s pontaneous spinal epidural hematoma presenting as an acute myelopathy in a clarinet player who chronically used a nonsteroidal anti-inflamma tory medication is presented. The case was remarkable for the rare com plete spontaneous resolution of neurological function. Approximately 2 50 cases of SSEH have been reported in the medical literature, althoug h only a handful of these patients have recovered spontaneously. This is the sixth report of such an event. The etiologies, contributing fac tors, disease progression, and treatment recommendations are discussed . Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company.