SPINAL-CORD COMPRESSION IN HOMOZYGOUS BETA-THALASSEMIA-INTERMEDIA

Symptomatic spinal cord compression caused by an epidural mass of extr amedullary hematopoietic tissue in patients with beta-thalassemia is a rare occurrence, that becomes exceptional in childhood and adolescenc e. The literature is not uniform about the optimal treatment of these patients and different modes of therapy have been proposed so far, inc luding surgical excision or decompressing laminectomy followed by loca l irradiation and/or hypertransfusional regimens. We report the succes sful treatment of such a complication in an adolescent with homozygous beta-thalassemia by surgery followed by repeated blood transfusions a imed at maintaining hematocrit at normal levels.