Spinal subarachnoid hematoma compressing the conus medullaris and associated with neurofibromatosis type 2.

STUDY DESIGN

Report of a case of subarachnoid hematoma associated with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) in a 10-year-old girl.

OBJECTIVE

To report a rare case of subarachnoid spontaneous hematoma associated with NF2, with no evidence of trauma.

SETTING

Gifu, Japan.

METHODS

The patient presented with severe leg pain. MRI revealed a subarachnoid hematoma at the level of L2 and a spinal cord tumor at the level of T6. The subarachnoid hematoma had low and high heterogeneous signal intensity on the T1-weighted image and low signal intensity on the T2-weighted image, indicating the presence of extracellular methemoglobin. The tumor and hematoma were resected.

RESULTS

Pathological analysis demonstrated that the surgical specimen removed from the area of L2 was a hematoma and the specimen from T6 was a neurinoma. At follow-up 1 year after surgery, the girl remained neurologically asymptomatic.

CONCLUSIONS

This rare case of spinal subarachnoid hematoma was associated with NF2. MRI was useful in establishing the diagnosis.