Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: A case report

A 59-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) the day after a minor motor vehicle crash for evaluation of bilateral shoulder pain. He underwent ED evaluation for his back pain two more times before it was found that he had a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH). On the third visit, the patient had waxing and waning neurologic symptoms including lower extremity weakness and urinary retention. The diagnosis was made by MRI, and the patient was successfully treated with cervical hemilaminectomy at the cervicothoracic junction for evacuation of the epidural hematoma 5 days after the onset of back pain.