Symptomatic spinal epidural lipomatosis after local epidural corticosteroid injections: Case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Spinal epidural lipomatosis, which causes symptom atic compression of neural elements, is a well known but uncommon complicat ion of Gushing's syndrome,Spinal epidural lipomatosis has been reported fre quently in association with chronic systemic corticosteroid therapy, but th us far only one case has been attributed to local epidural corticosteroid i njections. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report another case of symptomatic spinal epidura l lipomatosis after epidural; corticosteroid injections. This is the first such case documented by magnetic resonance imaging and confirmed with surgi cal exploration. INTERVENTION: The patient's symptoms of neurogenic claudication resolved af ter lumbar laminectomy in the region of previous corticosteroid injections and the removal of epidural fat, which was compressing; the thecal sac, CONCLUSION: This case should alert clinicians that epidural lipomatosis, wh ich causes symptomatic thecal sac compression, is a possible complication, not only of systemic glucocorticoid therapy, but also of local epidural cor ticosteroid injections.