Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma as a Manifestation of Hypertensive Emergency: A Case Report
By Kelly Laird, Jordan Sell, Peter England and 3 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Uncontrolled hypertension is frequently evaluated in the emergency department (ED), with the goal of identifying those patients with hypertensive emergencies. Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is rare and not considered a typical manifestation of hypertensive emergency. Case Report: A 31-year-old man presenting to the ED with chest pain and hypertension subsequently developed lower extremity neurologic deficits and was diagnosed with a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. After thorough testing, no other risk factors for this medical condition were identified, and the hemorrhage was attributed to hypertensive emergency.
Conclusion
Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a rare complication of hypertensive emergency and should be considered when evaluating patients with hypertension, back pain, and neurologic deficits.