Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Two cases of spinal epidural hematoma following intravenous administration of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator are presented. Both patients received thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction; back pain and progressive neurological dysfunction ensued, secondary to spinal cord compression caused by epidural hematoma. Both individuals underwent emergency surgery for decompression and hematoma evacuation, resulting in improvement in neurological function. The current status of thrombolytic therapy is reviewed, with emphasis on complications of therapy that require neurosurgical intervention.
Sawin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.