Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence, location, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) and spinal subdural hematoma (SSH) in post-traumatic ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.
Methods
A total of 2256 consecutive referrals for urgent and emergency MRI scans of the spine over a period of eight years and nine months were manually reviewed for any mentions indicating axial ankylosis and post-traumatic spinal hematoma. We found 164 patients with ankylosed spines complicated by spinal fracture, of whom 32 had AS. Of the 132 excluded patients, 80 had diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). The primary outcome was the presence of spinal hematoma, and the secondary outcome was spinal canal narrowing and spinal cord impingement. Two musculoskeletal radiologists and one fellow in musculoskeletal radiology reviewed the images for the presence of spinal hematoma and related signal characteristics, blinded to one another and initial reports.
Results
Of 28 post-traumatic AS patients, 19 had SEHs and five had spinal SSHs. There was a statistically significant difference between Frankel grades before and after surgery in respect of neurological improvement (p = 0.008). Patients who had radiologically proven spinal cord impingement showed more severe neurological deficits (p = 0.012). Hematomas with T1 heterogeneity showed a significantly increased delay (p = 0.047) between injury and imaging, while other signal characteristics were only approximate.
Conclusions
Both SEH and SSH are common complications in post-traumatic AS patients. Patients benefit from surgery, but the relevance of spinal hematoma as a separate factor causing neurological deficit remains unclear.
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Data availability
Not applicable.
Abbreviations
- AS:
-
Ankylosing spondylitis
- CT:
-
Computed tomography
- DISH:
-
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
- IQR:
-
Interquartile range
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- SEH:
-
Spinal epidural hematoma
- SSH:
-
Spinal subdural hematoma
- STIR:
-
Short tau inversion recovery
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Acknowledgements
We thank Paula H. Bergman for her expert assistance with the statistical analysis.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Riku M. Vierunen. Data analysis were performed by Riku M. Vierunen, Mika P. Koivikko, and Frank V. Bensch. Statistical analyses were performed by Paula H. Bergman. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Riku M. Vierunen, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Helsinki University Hospital.
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Materials & Methods 1st paragraph “Töölö Hospital as a part of Helsinki University Hospital”
Supplementary Information
ESM 1
Demographics and description of number and level of fractures, trauma mechanism, anticoagulation therapy, signs of decreased bone density on CT, spinal angulation on fracture level, neurological status before and after surgery, decompression, location of hematoma related to spinal cord, delay between injury and imaging, T1 and T2 signal intensity, T1 and T2 signal heterogeneity, mass effect of hematoma, and spinal cord injury, and impingement. The main fracture levels are indicated as transvertebral or transdiscal (when separated by slash). Abbreviations are indicated as follows: F, fall from standing height; Fhi, fall from over 2 m; Flo, fall from less than 2 m; MVA, motor vehicle accident; As, assault; Y, yes; L, lordosis; K, kyphosis; A, anterior; B, both; P, posterior; *, spinal subdural hematoma; +, hyperintense; −, hypointense; ±, isointense to muscle (DOCX 19 kb)
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Vierunen, R.M., Koivikko, M.P., Siironen, J.O. et al. Post-traumatic spinal hematoma in ankylosing spondylitis. Emerg Radiol 28, 601–611 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-020-01881-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-020-01881-3