[A case of systemic lupus erythematosus associated with spontaneous bilateral epidural hematomas]

The authors reported a case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with bilateral epidural hematomas which had developed without any recent trauma. A 34-year-old male suddenly suffered from a severe headache and vomited several times. He had no neurological deficits on admission, but CT scans of the head revealed abnormal high density areas over the parieto-occipital regions beneath the calvarium bilaterally. At the operation, fresh epidural clots were removed. There were neither evidence of trauma nor abnormal structures which might have led to the development of the clots. He was discharged a month later, being free from any signs and symptoms. One year later, arthralgia progressed and cutaneous ulceration appeared on his feet. On the second admission, butterfly rash on the face, alopecia, polyarthritis and arthralgia, photosensitivity, systemic purpura and proteinuria were noted. With detailed immunological examinations and renal biopsy, he was diagnosed as SLE. SLE is often associated with neurologic and psychic disorders and there are some cases of intracranial hemorrhage among them. However, the association with epidural hematoma has not been reported to date. We think the degeneration of the dural vessels caused by underlying SLE resulted in the development of these epidural hematomas. We also reviewed the literature about spontaneous epidural hematoma and about bilateral epidural hematomas.