Spinal Subdural Hematoma in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients Without Anticoagulation Therapy

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are at high risk of significant spinal trauma after relatively low-impact events, such as ground-level falls. Because of the osteopenic nature of the disease process, complex spinal fractures are common in these patients. Additionally, patients may sustain rare traumatic complications from these fractures, such as a spinal subdural hematoma (SSDH) or epidural hematoma. Traumatic SSDH is extremely rare, with few cases described in the literature, and cases are typically associated with antiplatelet or anticoagulant use. This study reviews the literature related to traumatic SSDH in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and describes two cases of traumatic SSDH in patients with ankylosing spondylitis without anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy, which has not previously been reported in the literature.