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Na XBM, Khoo SMK. Stroke-like manifestation of a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma with spontaneous resolution: a case report. Int J Emerg Med 2023; 16:10. [PMID: 36803212 PMCID: PMC9940068 DOI: 10.1186/s12245-023-00478-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This case report presents the case of a man with no known coagulopathy or preceding trauma, who spontaneously developed a spinal epidural hematoma (SEH). This is an uncommon condition which can have variable presentations including hemiparesis mimicking stroke, resulting in the potential for misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. CASE PRESENTATION A 28-year-old Chinese male with no past medical history presented with sudden onset neck pain associated with bilateral upper limbs and right lower limb subjective numbness but intact motor function. He was discharged after adequate pain relief but re-attended the emergency department with right hemiparesis. A magnetic resonance imaging of his spine revealed an acute cervical spinal epidural hematoma at C5 and C6. While admitted, he had spontaneous improvement of his neurological function and was eventually managed conservatively. CONCLUSIONS SEH, although uncommon, can be a mimic of stroke and it is important to avoid misdiagnosis as it is a time critical diagnosis, and administration of thrombolysis or antiplatelets can lead to unfavourable outcomes. Having a high clinical suspicion can help to guide us in the choice of imaging and interpretation of subtle signs to reach the correct diagnosis in a timely manner. Further research is required to better understand the factors that would favour a conservative approach as opposed to surgical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Bi, May Na
- Emergency Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National Healthcare Group, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore, 768828 Singapore
| | - Swee Min, Kathleen Khoo
- Emergency Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National Healthcare Group, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore, 768828 Singapore
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Hu Y, Su J, Cui X, Pan L, Jin L, Teng F. How to Avoid Misdiagnosing Spontaneous Cervical Spinal Epidural Hematoma as Ischemic Stroke: 3 Case Reports and Literature Review. Cerebrovasc Dis 2022; 52:597-606. [PMID: 36516738 DOI: 10.1159/000527705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
When spontaneous cervical spinal epidural hematoma (SCEH) presents with hemiparesis, it can be misdiagnosed with ischemic stroke (IS), and the treatment of IS such as thrombolysis may deteriorate the symptoms of patients with SCEH, leading to worse sequelae or even death. We reported 3 SCEH patients who were initially suspected as IS in our center between Jun 2020 and April 2022 and analyzed their clinical characteristics together with 48 patients reported in the literature from Jan 1995 to April 2022. Two of the 3 SCEH patients had neck symptoms, while none of them presented cranial nerve symptoms. Cranial computed tomography (CT) scans were negative; however, abnormal signals in the cervical spinal canal were observed during cranial computed tomography angiography (CTA) and subsequent cervical CT confirmed the diagnosis of SCEH. All of them avoid mistreatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Subsequently, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of a total of 51 patients. Thirteen of them developed symptoms during activity. Neck pain was an important sign of SCEH because 35 patients had neck pain or neck discomfort. Sensory impairment was reported in a small proportion of patients (11/51), which varied a lot in the patients. Some special manifestations highly suggested spinal cord lesions and provided evidence for the early differential diagnosis of SCEH and stroke, but the incidence of which was quite low: ipsilateral Horner syndrome in 2 patients, Brown-Séquard syndrome in 2 cases, and Lhermitte's sign in 1 case. Only a minority (8/51) of the patients were correctly diagnosed at the emergency unit using cervical CT. Six patients were correctly diagnosed when performing CTA. A large portion of the cases (21/51) were first misdiagnosed as IS, but no responsible lesions were found on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and subsequent cervical MRI confirmed the diagnosis. Sixteen patients were diagnosed with SCEH after the deterioration of symptoms. A total of 13 patients received rt-PA, and 10 of them had symptoms aggravation after thrombolysis. For patients with acute onset of hemiparesis but without cranial nerve symptoms, especially those accompanied by clinical features such as neck pain, ipsilateral Horner syndrome, Brown-Séquard syndrome, and Lhermitte's sign, SCEH should be highly suspected rather than stroke. Careful differential diagnosis should be performed with a comprehensive medical history and thorough physical examination. Cervical CT scan is a reasonable choice for quick differential diagnosis prior to administering potentially harmful therapy, especially rt-PA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaowen Hu
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junhui Su
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinxin Cui
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lizhen Pan
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingjing Jin
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Teng
- Neurotoxin Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Zhou LL, Zhu SG, Fang Y, Huang SS, Huang JF, Hu ZD, Chen JY, Zhang X, Wang JY. Neck pain and absence of cranial nerve symptom are clues of cervical myelopathy mimicking stroke: Two case reports. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:11835-11844. [PMID: 36405285 PMCID: PMC9669878 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i32.11835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical myelopathy is a potential stroke imitator, for which intravenous thrombolysis would be catastrophic.
CASE SUMMARY We herein present two cases of cervical myelopathy. The first patient presented with acute onset of right hemiparesis and urinary incontinence, and the second patient presented with sudden-onset right leg monoplegia. The initial diagnoses for both of them were ischemic stroke. However, both of them lacked cranial nerve symptom and suffered neck pain at the beginning of onset. Their cervical spinal cord lesions were finally confirmed by cervical computed tomography. A literature review showed that neck pain and absence of cranial nerve symptom are clues of cervical myelopathy.
CONCLUSION The current report and the review remind us to pay more attention to these two clues in suspected stroke patients, especially those within the thrombolytic time window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Li Zhou
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Shi-Guo Zhu
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yuan Fang
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Shi-Shi Huang
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jie-Fan Huang
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Ze-Di Hu
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jin-Yu Chen
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiong Zhang
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jian-Yong Wang
- Institute of Geriatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China
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