Spontaneous Spinal Subdural Hematoma Mimicking Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Spontaneous spinal subdural hematomas (SSDHs) are rarely encountered in clinical practice. In this paper, we report a case of a 70-year-old female who presented to the Emergency Department with symptoms of mid-epigastric pain radiating to her mid-scapular region. Her workup demonstrated mildly elevated cardiac troponin I levels and electrocardiogram (ECG) leads V3-V5 ST-depressions. She was subsequently treated through the non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) protocol and given an antiplatelet agent. The next morning, she developed bilateral lower extremity paresthesias, progressive left lower extremity weakness, and urinary retention. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine demonstrated a hematoma in the thoracic region resulting in spinal cord compression. The patient underwent surgical decompression. After the decompression of the thoracic spinal cord, the patient's neurological symptoms gradually improved and she regained lower extremity function. This report brings to light a very unusual presentation of an uncommon clinical entity. To the best knowledge of the authors, spontaneous SSDH presenting as myocardial injury and subsequently exacerbated by anticoagulation therapy has not been reported in the literature to date.