Spinal cord compression in type I Gaucher disease.

Three patients with epidural compression of the spinal cord, a rare but serious complication of type I Gaucher disease, are described. In two cases the compression occurred at the lower thoracic region due to collapse of T-11 and T-12, respectively. In the third case, an epidural mass developed at the dorsal aspect of the cord at T-2, and T-2 and T-3 showed diffuse infiltration without collapse. In two cases the diagnosis was made with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In these cases MR imaging proved to be a safe, accurate method for demonstrating the nature and extent of disease within the spinal canal.