Paraplegia with thalassaemia.
A case is reported of spinal cord compression resulting from extramedullary haemopoiesis in a patient with thalassaemia. A 28-year-old woman with beta thalassaemia intermedia presented with a two week history of paraparesis with bladder and bowel incontinence. Recovery followed laminectomy and the removal of haemopoietic tissue in the spinal epidural space. This is a rare complication and only eight cases have been reported in the literature.
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006801:Humans; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications*