Spinal Subdural Hematoma Following Cranial Subdural Hematoma : A Case Report with a Literature Review
A 47-year-old female patient was referred to our hospital due to sudden onset of headache (visual analog scale; VAS 8) and backaches (VAS 6) following a slip and fall two weeks prior to admission, resulting in periorbital swelling, bruising and a headache. The pain was aggravated by standing and walking and partially relieved by sitting. The patient showed no sensory and motor deficits in lower limbs and there were neither bladder nor bowel dysfunction. She was alert and well oriented, and her spine was aligned normally in the coronal plane with mild loss of lumbar lordosis. Lumbar spine movements in the sagittal plane were restricted by pain. Upon straight leg-raise testing, the patient's leg was able to be raised 60° while lying down, with no neurological deficits noted in the limbs. The cervical spine was normal. There was no evidence of cranial nerve palsy or lateralizing neurological deficits. She had no previous history of anticoagulant therapy and hematological coagulopathy. Her coagulation profiles including platelet count, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were all within the normal ranges. Cranial imaging studies revealed a small amount of acute SDH along the tentorium (). Magnetic resonance imaging of the patient's lumbosacral spine revealed spinal SDH at the anterior portion of the caudal thecal sac at the levels of L5-S2 with marked neural compression (). No definite contrast enhancement at the lesion site was observed. The remaining intracranial structures and cervicothoracic spine were normal. Based on radiologic findings, traumatic intracranial SDH at the tentorium with subsequent spinal SDH was diagnosed. Seven-day course of conservative management was uneventful, and the patient experienced no neurological deficits, without notable event. Her complaints of headache and back pain were nearly resolved, and the patient returned to normal daily activities. At one-year follow-up, the patient was free of leg pain, but complained of a sustained mild headache. Follow-up imaging studies showed no definite abnormalities in the cranium or spine.