Epidural lipomatosis: case report and literature review

Abstract

We report a case of symptomatic epidural lipomatosis in a 36-year-old man following a heart lung transplant and 3.5 years of steroid medication. A review of the pertinent literature emphasises the importance of including this diagnosis in the differential diagnosis of patients receiving steroid medication or markedly obese patients with back pain or symptoms suggesting spinal cord or cauda equina compression.

Corticosteroid-Induced Multifocal and Extensive Lipomatosis: A Case Report

“…This imaging and magnetic resonance imaging are the principals tools to identify the differents localizations of lipomatosis [1,5].…”

Spinal epidural lipomatosis following haploidentical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for non‐Hodgkin lymphoma

“…We present a case of rapid evolution of severe SEL in a patient with NHL and GvHD on treatment with steroids. There are few descriptions of SEL in solid organ transplantation (7, 11–15). According to available data, cases of SEL in BMT setting have not been described, despite the wide use of prolonged courses of steroids for control of acute and chronic GvHD.…”

Cauda Equina Syndrome Caused by Idiopathic Sacral Epidural Lipomatosis.

“…Idiopathic spinal EDLis rare and only 26 cases have been reported (1). In most of cases the patients were obese men (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Epidural fat is usually thick on the outside of fractured vertebral bodies, and is frequently observed in patients with osteoporosis (3,4).…”

“…Epidural lipomatosis (EDL) is generally observed in patients whohave undergone long-term steroid treatment or in Cushing's syndrome, causing symptomssuch as back pain, muscle weakness, sensory loss and abnormal reflexes (1,2). However, it is also observed in patients who have no such histories, which is known as idiopathic epidural lipomatosis (IEDL).…”