Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: a case report

BACKGROUND: Spinal epidural hematomas usually occur under certain conditions; they rarely occur spontaneously. The prevalence of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is ~ 0.1 per 100,000, and the male-to-female ratio is approximately 1.4 to 1. Herein, we describe a rare case of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old Taiwanese woman, with underlying hypertension, anemia, and a history of cardiovascular accident without sequela, was admitted to our emergency department with a chief complaint of sudden bilateral weakness in the lower limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a spontaneous epidural hematoma. The patient underwent emergency surgery to remove the epidural hematoma and laminectomy for decompression. The bilateral lower limb weakness was alleviated immediately after the surgery. CONCLUSION: In patients with no risk factors related to spinal epidural hematoma, symptoms of bilateral lower limb weakness must be investigated carefully because this condition may occur spontaneously.