title: Nontraumatic acute and subacute enhancing spinal epidural hematoma mimicking a tumor in a child.
abstract: We describe a 10-year-old boy who presented with acute onset of neck pain and neurologic symptoms caused by a spinal epidural hematoma. An enhancing mass, which mimicked a tumor, was seen on MR imaging of the cervical spine. The uptake of gadolinium in the mass and the associated mass effect suggested a tumor etiology. Such spinal epidural hematomas are extremely rare in the pediatric population. Additionally, it is even more uncommon for spinal epidural hematomas to resemble tumors. It is important to consider this entity when an enhancing epidural mass is found on MRI in the setting of an acute presentation.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirwan
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saigal
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faingold
authors.forename: Augustin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Gorman
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006407:Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA