Spontaneous spinal epidural haemorrhage: good results after early treatment.

Extravasation of blood in the spinal epidural space is an uncommon but often disastrous problem. Severe trauma, anticoagulants, bleeding diatheses, and intraspinal vascular malformations have been associated with such haemorrhage, but occasionally it occurs without apparent cause. It may then be confused with transverse myelopathy or vascular occlusion. Early diagnosis by myelography and treatment by surgery can result in good recovery, as illustrated by two cases.