title: Post lumbar puncture spinal subarachnoid hematoma causing paraplegia: a short report.
abstract: A 53 year old male underwent total excision of a large sphenoidal wing meningioma. Patient was treated with cephalosporins and phenytoin for postoperative meningitis. Three weeks after surgery, a follow up lumbar puncture was done. The patient became paraplegic over a few hours. Imaging of the dorsolumbar spine and other investigations demonstrated a large intraspinal hematoma caused by thrombocytopenia which was probably drug induced. After normalising the platelet count surgical evacuation of the spinal subarachnoid hematoma was done. Relevant literature is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore - 560054, India.
authors.forename: S Balaji
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Krishna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chandrashekar
mesh_terms: D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013116:Spinal Cord; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology