title: [Transverse myelopathy in an adult with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: case report].
abstract: We report a case of transverse myelopathy in a 31 year old white man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, subtype L3 (ALL-L3). This is a severe form of leukemia that affects children more often than adults. Less than 1% of leukemic patients develop neurologic complication in the spinal cord. The symptomatology in the present case started with back pain, flaccid paraplegia, and loss of sensibility and vegetative functions below the lesion. The etiologic diagnostic was obtained through peripheral blood study, bone marrow cytology, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and magnetic resonance image of the dorsal cord. The antileukemic treatment with specific drugs had no influence on the fatal outcome of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital Universitário Lauro Wanderley, Universidade Federal da Paraíba.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: da Nóbrega
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Guedes Filho
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Souto
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*