Cord compression due to extramedullary hemopoiesis in a patient with thalassemia.
METHODS
This is a case report of a patient with thalassemia who had acute spinal cord compression at the T3 to T8 level and presented for treatment.


METHODS
Magnetic resonance imaging and surgical decompression and transfusion therapy was chosen as the preferred treatment modality.


RESULTS
Neurologic recovery was satisfactory from the immediate postoperative period, and full recovery was observed 2 months after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical awareness is important for early diagnosis. Documentation with an imaging technique, such as magnetic resonance imaging, is mandatory. Optimal treatment is tailor-made and depends on the clinical situation and the expertise available.
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
S K
SK
Lau
C K
CK
Chan
Y Y
YY
Chow
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006411:Hematopoiesis, Extramedullary; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009192:Myelography; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed