A Case Report: The Challenging Diagnosis of Spontaneous Cervical Epidural Hematoma

• Main Authors: Francis L. Counselman, Julie M. Tondt, Harry Lustig
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2020-08-01
• Series: Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7r3204xc

Introduction: We present the case of a patient with a spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma that presented with neck pain and mild, left arm parasthesia. Case Report: A 59-year old man presented with sudden onset of severe neck pain, without history of injury or trauma. The patient also complained of associated left arm parasthesias that progressed to left arm and leg weakness while in the emergency department. Multiple diagnoses were considered and worked up; eventually the correct diagnosis was made with magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine. Conclusion: Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma typically presents with neck pain, and variable neurologic complaints. This case illustrates the challenge in making this uncommon but serious diagnosis.