title: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma with unusual hemiparesis alternating from one side to the other side.
abstract: A 59-year-old woman suffered from sudden onset of severe neck and back pain. She experienced right-side hemiparesis. Although the right-side hemiparesis soon disappeared, left-side hemiparesis developed. MRI of the brain was unremarkable. MRI of the cervical spine demonstrated hematoma in the left posterior epidural space at the C2/3 level. The spinal cord was compressed not only by a degenerative disc of the ventral region, but also by hematomas of the dorsal region. The unusual hemiparesis alternating from right-side to left-side in this case may have been caused by various factors, including cervical canal stenosis, the spread of hematoma, disturbance of blood flow, and distribution of stress and strain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Cerebrovascular Medicine, Saitama International Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan. yujik@saitama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanahashi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005260:Female; D046748:Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors