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Updated: Jun 4, 2026
Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Published on: November 4, 2010
Progressive epidural lipomatosis with steroid use in severe refractory asthma
Benjamin Wakerley1, Louisa Kent, Matthew Jackson
1Department of Neurology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK. benwakerley@fastmail.fm
Background:
Long-term immunosuppression with oral corticosteroids is frequently used to treat inflammatory diseases of the lung and is advocated in the management of some patients with asthma.
Methods:
The authors describe the case of a 35-year-old man with severe refractory asthma who developed a slowly progressive thoracic spinal cord syndrome.
Results:
Spinal imaging demonstrated the presence of spinal epidural lipomatosis, a rare complication of prolonged corticosteroid therapy, which is characterized by overgrowth of fat in the epidural space and neuronal compression.
Conclusions:
Spinal epidural lipomatosis should be considered in patients receiving long-term corticosteroid therapy who develop symptoms and signs suggestive of spinal cord compression.
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