Abstract
Introduction: Spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) occurs in less than 1% of all cases of SAH, and idiopathic spontaneous spinal SAH is even more rare.
Methods: A 48-year-old man presented with a sudden onset of low back pain without any neurological deficit. There was no history of either trauma or the use of anticoagulants. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the lumbar spine revealed an intradural linear mass from T12 to L3, ventral to the conus medullais and cauda equina. The mass was of iso-signal intensity in T2-weighted images, of high signal intensity in T1-weighted images, and was not enhanced following injection of gadolium. Lumbar tapping revealed bloody cerebrospinal fluid, confirming SAH. At 1 month after the onset of symptom, his pain subsided spontaneously and no vascular abnormality was found by spinal angiography. Follow-up MR imaging confirmed the complete resolution of the SAH.
Conclusion: We report a case of idiopathic spontaneous spinal SAH at the lumbar level in a 48-year-old man.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
Bruni P, Esposito S, Oddi G, Hernandez R, Martines F, Patricolo A . Subarachnoid hemorrhage from multiple neurofibromas of the cauda equina: case report. Neurosurgery 1991; 28: 910–913.
Walton JN . Subarachnoid haemorrhage of unusual aetiology. Neurology 1953; 3: 517–543.
Luxon LM, Harrison MJ . Subarachnoid hemorrhage and papilledema due to a cervical neurilemmoma. Case report. J Neurosurg 1978; 48: 1015–1018.
Komiyama M, Yasui T, Sumimoto T, Fu Y . Spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hematoma of unknown pathogenesis: case reports. Neurosurgery 1997; 41: 691–694.
Slavin HB . Spontaneous intraspinal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Report of a case. J Nerv Ment Dis 1937; 86: 425–427.
Hida K, Iwasaki Y, Akino M . Spontaneous spinal hemorrhage during scuba diving. Case illustration. J Neurosurg 2002; 96(3 Suppl): 351.
Cabrera MA, Manchola I, Larena JA, Martinez de Guerenu B, Casado O . Follow up of a spontaneous ventral subarachnoid spinal haematoma by means of magnetic resonance. Rev Neurol 2001; 32: 1137–1140.
Ruelle A, Zerbi D, Andrioli G . Spinal subarachnoid bleeding of unknown etiology* Case reports. J Neurosurg Sci 2001; 45: 53–57.
Romano A, Marsella M, Swamy N, de Courten-Myers G, Zuccarello M . Cervical subarachnoid hematoma of unknown origin: case report. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 1999; 141: 1115–1117.
Cordan T, Bekar A, Yaman O, Tolunay S . Spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage attributable to schwannoma of the cauda equina. Surg Neurol 1999; 54: 373–375.
Sunda I, Akano Y, Kidosaki Y, Shimokawa N, Yamamoto S . Spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hematoma – case report. Surg Neurol 1995; 44: 133–136.
Kang HS, Chung CK, Kim HJ . Spontaneous spinal subdural hematoma with spontaneous resolution. Spinal Cord 2000; 38: 192–196.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, Y., Cho, K., Chung, C. et al. Idiopathic spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Spinal Cord 42, 545–547 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3101620
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3101620
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage complicating spinal subarachnoid hematoma causing acute cauda equina syndrome: a case report
BMC Neurology (2024)
-
Spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage in cortical superficial siderosis after apixaban and clopidogrel therapy
Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis (2016)
-
Spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage after severe coughing: a case report
Journal of Medical Case Reports (2013)
-
Spinal subarachnoid hematoma in a woman with HELLP syndrome: a case report
Journal of Medical Case Reports (2012)
-
Spontaneous acute spinal subdural hematoma: spontaneous recovery from severe paraparesis—case report and review
Acta Neurochirurgica (2010)
