Spontaneous resolution and complete recovery of spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma: Report of two cases and literature review.

Objective: To present the natural course and treatment modalities of spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma (SCEH), by reporting two rare cases with spontaneous resolution in both clinical and radiologic findings without surgery.

Methods: One patient presenting with acute right side hemiparesis and another showing pure cervical radiculopathy were diagnosed with SCEH on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both were both treated non-operatively. We also conducted a literature review of 19 cases of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH).

Results: These two patients achieved complete resolution in terms of both neurologic function and radiologic findings within 21 days after onset. In the literature review, 63.2% of cases experienced neurologic improvement in the first 24h, 78.9% achieved complete neurologic recovery within 1 month, and radiological images showed complete resolution of hematoma in the first month for 73.7% of patients.

Conclusions: Atypical cervical SSEH can mimic cerebral stroke or a ruptured cervical disc. A high index of clinical suspicion followed by MRI examination is critical for diagnosis. Prompt surgical decompression and evacuation of the hematoma is generally regarded as first-line treatment. However, for patients without or with only slight neurologic symptoms, or showing early and sustained neurologic improvement, non-surgical therapy with close observation is a viable alternative. Both neurologic and radiologic resolution can be expected within the first month following onset in most cases of spontaneous resolution of SSEH.