Journal List > J Korean Neurotraumatol Soc > v.7(2) > 1084098

Kim, Lee, Kim, Lee, Yoo, Huh, and Cho: Retrospective Analysis of 14 Cases of Spinal Epidural Hematoma

Abstract

Objective

Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is rare diseases and they may have various causes. We reviewed our clinical experiences and analyzed the various factors related to the outcome for SEH.

Methods

We investigated 14 patients (8 men and 6 women) who underwent hematoma removal for SEH from January 2003 to December 2010. We investigated age, gender, hypertension, anticoagulant use, radiographic finding such as the degree of cord compression and the extent and location of the hematoma and relationship between preoperative neurologic status, surgical timing and neurological outcome using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score by examining medical records.

Results

In ten cases (71.4%) of operated 14 cases, there were post-operative improvements (recovery scale >50%) in clinical symptoms. We performed operation within 12 hour for seven cases, and the average of recovery scale for these cases was 69.9%. Six (85.7%) of these cases improved more than 50% on the recovery scale. There were seven cases that we performed operations on that were beyond 12 hour, and the average of the recovery scale was 47.7%. The average of the recovery scale in cases of incomplete injury after the operation was 64.4%, and the average of the recovery scale was 38.1% in cases of complete injury. There was a significant difference between two groups (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Our present study demonstrates that surgical time interval and preoperative neurological status correlated with neurological recovery. The rapidity of surgical intervention and preoperative favorable neurological status maximize neurological recovery.

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FIGURE 1.
Preoperative and Postoperative MRI of 61 year-old male patient (case 7). He visited to emergency room with lower extremities weakness and voiding difficulty after ESWL treatment for urolithiasis. Sagittal T2- (A) and axial T2-weighted (B) magnetic resonance images of an acute epidural hematoma with maximal compression at the T10-12 level (arrows). T10-L1 total laminectomy was performed. Postoperative sagittal T2-weighted (C) magnetic resonance images show no cord compression. ESWL: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.
jknts-2011-7-2-51f1.tif
FIGURE 2.
The relationship between surgical timing and neurological outcome. Outcome correlates inversely with the time interval from symptom onset to surgery (Spearman rank correlation coefficient=-0.68, p<0.05).
jknts-2011-7-2-51f2.tif
FIGURE 3.
The relationship between pre-operative neurological status and post-operative outcome. The postoperative surgical results are correlated with pre-operative neurological status. (Spearman rank correlation coefficient=0.8, p<0.05). JOA: Japanese Orthopaedic Association.
jknts-2011-7-2-51f3.tif
Table 1.
The characteristic of SSEH in 14 patients
Sex Age Neurology Lesion Etiology Initial JOA Pre-op JOA Interval (hour) Compression degree % Recovery scale (%)
1 M 18 SM incompl C2-3 Trauma 15 17 11 37.6 100
2 F 21 SM incompl C3-5 Trauma 13 15 8 42.1 50
3 M 18 SM incompl C2-D4 Angiolipoma 12 14 26 56.4 40
4 M 69 SM compl C3-D4 Anticoagulant 0 4 8 78.6 36.3
5 F 52 SM incompl T1-6 Angiolipoma 5 8 16 58.6 50
6 F 67 SM compl T9-12 Idiopathic 0 3 15 62.5 27.2
7 M 61 SM incompl T10-12 ESWL 6 10 13 38 80
8 F 73 SM compl T11-12 Idiopathic 0 7 9 64.1 63.6
9 M 43 SM incompl T11-12 Trauma 7 9 15 58.8 50
10 M 52 SM compl L1-5 Idiopathic 0 6 4 57.3 55.5
11 F 54 SM incompl L1-5 Anticoagulant 7 10 8 76.9 75
12 M 23 SM incompl L4-5 Trauma 7 9 36 72.1 50
13 F 27 SM incompl L1-4 Postop. Cx 5 11 8 59 100
14 M 30 SM incompl L4-S1 Trauma 6 9 15 68.1 60

ESWL: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, S: sensory, M: motor, comp: complete, incompl: incomplete, Postop. Cx: postoperative complication, JOA: Japanese Orthopaedic Association

Table 2.
Improvement in recovery scale (n=14; values are mean±SD)
Neurological status JOA score initial JOA score after operation Recovery scale
Incomplete (10) 7.9±2.3 13.2±1.8 64.4%*
Complete (4) 0 5.2±2.8 38.10%

* p<0.05 (significant difference between the complete and incomplete neurological injury after operation).

JOA: Japanese Orthopaedic Association

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