Subarachnoid spinal hemorrhage in a case of systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 50-year-old woman with an 18-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) died after an exacerbation of the illness, characterized by deteriorating mentation and right hemiplegia. Necropsy revealed massive spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from aneurysmal dilation and rupture of the posterior spinal artery, which was involved by vasculitis. The left parietal lobe and internal capsule contained recent infarcts. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of SLE with spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage revealed by necropsy.