NEGLECTED SPINAL SUBDURAL HEMATOMA AFTER LUMBAR PUNCTURES FOR INTRATHECAL CHEMOTHERAPY, A CASE REPORT

Spinal subdural hematoma is a rare complication of lumbar puncture. It could be overlooked with devastating neurological consequences due to a delay in diagnosis. We report the case of 18 years-old woman followed for leukemia who presented a cauda equina syndrome after lumbar punctures for intrathecal chemotherapy. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging showed a thoraco-lumbar spinal subdural hematoma. The treatment consisted on a surgical evacuation of the hematoma after L2 laminectomy. On follow-up, the patient did not improve significantly. This observation shows that haemato-oncologists should be mindful of subdural hematoma as a possible complication of intrathecal chemotherapy and confirms the severity of the prognosis for late surgery.