Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma Mimicking Ischemic Stroke: An Experience in a Patient Undergoing Hemodialysis

Hemiparesis develops in response to various neurological disorders, including stroke, neoplasms and several inflammatory processes. Occasionally, it may otherwise occur due to a lesion in the high cervical spinal cord. In this report, we describe a case of spontaneous cervical spinal epidural hematoma in a chronic hemodialysis patient who initially presented with left hemiparesis and dysarthria, which encouraged us to incorrectly attribute the illness to a cerebrovascular event. Several diagnostic and management concerns relevant to this disease condition are discussed.

Keywords: hemiparesis, spontaneous cervical spinal epidural hematoma, stroke mimic, hemodialysis, end-stage kidney disease.