Spontaneous remission of paralysis due to spinal extradural hematoma: case report

Spontaneous spinal extradural hematoma is an uncommon cause of cord compression and paraplegia. The clinical presentation of this entity is uniform, with sudden pain followed by sensory and motor dysfunction. Unlike other considerations in the differential diagnosis of cord compression, here the pain and clinical deficit may remit suddenly and spontaneously. This feature may obscure the diagnosis of an organic cause for cord dysfunction. This report describes a patient whose extradural hematoma was caused by hemorrhage from an arteriovenous malformation. Dramatic reduction of his pain and paralysis followed myelography.