Chronic expanding hematoma after spinal surgery.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Chronic expanding hematoma after spinal surgery is extremely rare, with no case previously reported in the literature.

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of a chronic expanding hematoma of the spine that occurred 24 years after thoracic laminectomy and spinal cord tumor resection.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case report.

METHODS

A 71-year-old man presented with a spinal mass located approximately at the level of the sixth thoracic vertebral body. The patient had undergone thoracic laminectomy with tumor resection 24 years previously. The mass had appeared 5 years after this and had gradually enlarged over 19 years.

RESULTS

The tumor was resected en bloc. The lamina and spinous processes had been partially eroded by the tumor at the fifth and sixth thoracic vertebrae, but the dura was intact. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of chronic expanding hematoma. The hematoma had not recurred at the 1-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

We report herein an extremely rare case of chronic expanding hematoma after spinal surgery. This entity may be considered a late complication after surgery regardless of the number of years that have passed since the index surgery.