Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma (SCEH), which is a rare disease, is manifested
as by a sudden quadriplegia or paraplegia and other neurological deficits. SCEH can
compress the spinal cord resulting in its clinical manifestations. The reported etiological
risk factors are anticoagulants, coagulopathies, vascular malformations, infections,
and herniated discs. Here, we report a 77-year-old woman with a presenting chief complaint
of left hemiparesis and a history of hypertension. The medical drugs in use were aspirin
and antihypertensives. The initiating presentations were hemiparesis, in favor of
ischemic stroke, so the patient admitted to neurology ward and received anticoagulant
therapy with the initial diagnosis of stroke. Although clinical manifestations and
examinations are important in these patients due to mimicking stroke picture, imaging
evaluation is paramount for a definite diagnosis, which in our case showed a SCEH,
who was suspected to have an ischemic stroke during the initial assessment because
its initial demonstration mimicked ischemic stroke. This patient underwent laminectomy
after 3 days and showed a clinical recovery the day after. Her muscle strength improved
gradually, and neurological symptoms were diminished after physiotherapy.
Key-words:
Laminectomy management - spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma - stroke symptoms
