Epidural compression of the cauda equina caused by vertebral osteoblastic metastasis of prostatic carcinoma: resolution by hormonal therapy

A 59 year old man with prostatic carcinoma developed epidural compression o f the cauda equina caused by bony expansion from a vertebral osteoblastic m etastasis. For medical reasons he could not undergo radiation or surgery. H ormonal therapy alone relieved his low back pain and restored ambulation an d urinary function. Postmyelography CT showed that the bony expansion from the vertebra had completely disappeared after treatment. This is the first report of remarkable improvement due to hormonal therapy alone.