The clinical presentation in most cases is the same as in our case, namely sudden-onset back pain followed by signs of nerve root or spinal cord compression. The symptoms of spinal

cord compression may include ascending numbness, progressive paraplegia and/or loss of leg sensory function, and cauda-equina syndrome [1,11]. However, owing to its rarity, the exact diagnosis of SSEH may be difficult in a timely manner. The differential diagnosis includes spinal abscess, tumor, ischemia, transverse click here myelitis and acute vertebral disc disease [6]. Since the results of operative decompression of the spinal cord depend on the duration of the symptoms, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical time lost during diagnostic procedures may have negative influences on the outcome [7,9-13]. Consequently, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical accurate neuroradiologic confirmation of the correct diagnosis is mandatory. In the past, lumbar myelography and computed tomography scanning were used for diagnosis. However, these techniques are nonspecific, may not provide the accurate length of the hematoma and may produce false-negative findings [11,14]. Currently, spinal MRI has replaced these

techniques Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical as the initial diagnostic tool for SSEH. MRI is noninvasive, accurate and can demonstrate the localization and length of the hematoma as well as the effects on the spinal cord [1,10,11]. Furthermore, on T2-weighted images, hyperintense signals Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in the compressed spinal cord, suggesting intramedullary edema, may portend poor neurological recovery [10]. In our case, MRI provided detailed information about the magnitude, localization, dimension, limits and nature of the epidural mass. Although the compression of the spinal cord was significant (Figure ​(Figure1C),1C), there were no hyperintense signals on T2-weighted images of the spinal cord. This was correlated with a good postoperative recovery, in much the same way as described above [10]. The most relevant aspect of this case report Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is the early surgical management. This

factor may have been the crucial determinant of the good neurologic outcome in our case. Many authors have already 4��8C described that the speed of surgical intervention is correlated with better neurological and functional recovery [7-12]. A time frame of less than 12 hours from the initial ictus seems to be the best therapeutic window [10-12]. In our case, the patient underwent surgery at slightly more than 2 hours after the onset of the symptoms of spinal cord compression, and long before any neurological structural damage could be identified by MRI. Therefore, based in our case and the literature reviewed, we emphasize that SSEH is a neurosurgical emergency requiring immediate surgical intervention. Another factor besides surgical timing that might affect the outcome is the patient’s preoperative neurological status. Groen et al. [7] expertly reviewed the literature and reported 330 cases of SSEH.