Pediatric Spinal Epidural Hematoma

  • Etiology: Trauma, coagulopathy
  • Imaging MRI: Occur outside dural sac and therefore epidural fat is not preserved and dura is displaced inward
  • DDX: Spinal subdural hematoma
  • Complications:
  • Treatment: Small hematomas resolve on their own while larger ones require surgery
  • Clinical:
    — More common than spinal subdural hematoma
    — After multiple attempts at lumbar puncture there is often an epidural hematoma which compresses thecal sac making further attempts at lumbar puncture difficult

Radiology Cases of Spinal Epidural Hematoma

Radiology Cases of Thoracic Spinal Epidural Hematoma With Fracture Dislocation

CT of thoracic spine fracture dislocation with epidural hematoma and cord compression
Coronal (left) and sagittal (middle) CT without contrast of the spine shows fracture of the T6 and T8 vertebral bodies with displacement at T7-T8. Sagittal T2 MRI without contrast of the spine (right) shows spinal stenosis and cord compression and abnormal cord signal and ligament disruption and an epidural hematoma at T7-T8.