Spontaneous ligamentum flavum hematoma in the rigid thoracic spine : a case report and review of the literature

Ligamentum flavum hematoma following a traffic accident: A case report

BACKGROUND

Ligamentum flavum hematoma (LFH) can cause compression of the spinal cord or nerve root, which results in neurological symptoms. We report a case of lumbar radicular pain due to LFH following a traffic accident.

CASE SUMMARY

A 59-year-old man complained of left buttock and lateral thigh pain that was dull in nature after a traffic accident 18 d prior to presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), taken 17 d after the traffic accident, revealed a mass lesion at the L4-5 Level. These MRI findings suggested subacute LFH. The patient's pain was not alleviated with conservative treatment, including oral medication and epidural steroid injection. After a partial-hemilaminectomy and removal of LFH, the patient's pain completely disappeared.

CONCLUSION

Because early operation for decompression is important for a good outcome, clinicians should be able to determine LFH from MRI results and be aware of the possibility of LFH, especially in patients with a history of trauma.

Ligamentum flavum hematomas: Why does it mostly occur in old Asian males? Interesting point of reported cases: Review and case report

Hematoma of the ligamentum flavum (LF) is a rare cause of neural compression and sciatica. Currently, the etiology and epidemiological characteristics of ligamentum flavum hematoma (LFH) are unknown and epidemiological investigations using rewieving of reported cases have not been performed. We report the case of a 63-year-old man with a LFH compressing the spinal canal at the left L2-L3 level, rewieved relevant literature. In Medline research, wefound a total of 50 reported cases with LFHs, and the interesting point of these cases were analyzed. Many of cases were old males. Interestingly, 39 of the 50 cases were reported from Asian countries. The ages of 42 patients could be verified. The youngest age was 45 years, oldest age was 81 years, and mean age was 66.07 years. Thirty-three out of these 42 patients (78.53%) were older than 60 years. An important aspect of the present review is to bring attention for occurrence in older Asian males. With an increasing number of elderly people in the general population, there is a need to investigate risk factors such as sexual gender, age, and geographic location for LFH.

A contrast-enhancing lumbar ligamentum flavum haematoma

We present a case of lower back pain with lumbar nerve compromise due to a ligamentum flavum haematoma which was successfully treated surgically. A 62-year-old man was evaluated for lower back pain with associated leg pain and early signs of cauda equina syndrome. MRI of the lumbar spine demonstrated a contrast-enhancing mass adjacent to the lamina of L3 which was causing severe canal stenosis. Surgical excision of the lesion was recommended. The patient underwent an L3 laminectomy with excision of the epidural lesion. Histopathology showed it to be a haematoma of the ligamentum flavum with no untoward features. The patient recovered without complication.

Ligamentum flavum hematomas of the cervical and thoracic spine

OBJECTIVE

To report extremely rare cases of ligamentum flavum hematomas in the cervical and thoracic spine. Only six cases of thoracic ligamentum flavum hematomas and three cases of cervical ligamentum flavum hematomas have been reported so far.

METHODS

Two patients presented with tetraparesis and one patient presented with radicular pain and paresthesias in the T3 dermatome. MRI was performed in two patients, which showed a posterior intraspinal mass, continuous with the ligamentum flavum. The mass was moderately hypointense on T2-weighted images and hyperintense on T1-weighted images with no contrast enhancement. The third patient underwent cervical myelography because of a cardiac pacemaker. The myelography showed an intraspinal posterior mass with compression of the dural sac at C3/C4.

RESULTS

All patients underwent a hemilaminectomy to resect the ligamentum flavum hematoma and recovered completely afterwords, and did not experience a recurrence during follow-up of at least 2 years.

CONCLUSION

This case series shows rare cases of ligamentum flavum hematomas in the cervical and thoracic spine. Surgery achieved complete recovery of the preoperative symptoms in all patients within days.

Ligamentum flavum hematoma: a case report and literature review

The aim is to present a rare case of ligamentum flavum hematoma in the lumbar region, discuss its physiopathology and treatment and review the literature. A woman aged 68 presented with neurogenic claudication due to degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis that evolved into a sudden worsening with cauda equina syndrome. The magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) showed signs of degeneration of the lumbar spine, with a narrow spinal canal from L2 to S1, anterolisthesis L4 L5 and an expansive lesion hyperintense on T1-weighted and hypointense on T2-weighted images considered compatible with hematoma in the topography of the yellow ligament in L1-L2. The patient underwent laminectomy and lumbar fixation. Her evolution was good in the postoperative period and at 18 months of follow-up hse walked alone, despite the pain that is controlled with simple medications. Even though rare, it seems that ligamentum flavum hematoma has a relationship with the degeneration and rupture of small vessels associated with micro trauma to the spine. Its physiopathology is not well defined and treatment is similar to other spine compression processes.

Epidural block-induced ligamentum flavum hematoma mimicking epidural hematoma in the lumbar spine: a case report

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

The ligamentum flavum may undergo various pathologic changes, including hypertrophy, calcification, ossification, and cyst formation. Ligamentum flavum hematoma (LFH) is a rare cause of spinal nerve root or cord compression and usually occurs in the lumbar spine. We report a 66-year-old woman with LFH occurring after an epidural block, mimicking epidural hematoma on lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

PURPOSE

To document MRI findings of epidural block-induced LFH mimicking epidural hematoma.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING

A case report.

METHODS

A 66-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of pain in the left buttock and suffered abrupt weakness and numbness in her left leg after an epidural block procedure without any other trauma history. Lumbar spine MRI with enhancement showed a hematoma-like mass in the posterior epidural space at L3-L4 level.

RESULTS

The patient underwent a left hemilaminectomy at the L3 level, and a surgeon found a small hematoma between inner and outer walls of ligamentum flavum instead of an epidural hematoma and performed the removal of the hypertrophied ligamentum flavum including the intraligamentary lesion. Histopathologic examination confirmed the lesion as hematoma in the left ligamentum flavum. After surgery, the patient recovered without significant neurologic deficit.

CONCLUSIONS

Epidural block-induced LFH can mimic posterior epidural hematoma on MRI. Careful evaluation of hematoma, location, and imaging findings is required for accurate diagnosis.

Ligamentum Flavum Hematoma in the Adjacent Segment after a long Level Fusion

Ligamentum flavum hematoma (LFH) is a very rare condition of dural compression; most are observed in the mobile cervical and lumbar spine regions. A 67-year-old man who had a long level interbody fusion at L3-S1 four years ago presented with symptoms suggestive of dural compression. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a posterior semicircular mass located at the adjacent L2-L3 level. After decompression of the spinal canal and removal of the mass lesion, pathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed a hematoma within the ligamentum. The patient fully recovered to normal status after surgery. Here, we report our experience with a LFH in the adjacent segment after a long level fusion procedure and discuss the possible associated mechanisms.