A rare non-malignant cause of spinal cord compression in a young patient

In the context of palliative medicine, spinal cord compression occurs in around 5% of patients with cancer. Ten per cent of patients with spinal metastases are affected; the commonest causes are breast, prostate, lung cancer and multiple myeloma. We describe a rare cause of spinal cord compression in a 29-year-old man resulting from a complication of long-term corticosteroid use. Spinal epidural lipomatosis is a complex disorder caused by hypertrophy of adipose tissue located in the spinal epidural space. Symptoms occur when the adipose tissue enlarges, encroaching on the spinal canal. In this case, the aetiology was long-term exogenous dexamethasone use.