Are spontaneous epidural haematoma in sickle cell disease a rare complication? A report of two new cases.

Abstract

Sickle cell anaemia, an autosomal recessive disease relatively common among the black races, gives rise sometimes to neurological complications. Among these, spontaneous epidural haematoma constitutes a rare event that is not always easy to treat in the Third world conditions. Two new cases are described and their pathology is compared with the five already described cases in the literature. A vaso-occlusive pathological process as in the orbital compression syndrome is thought to be implicated in the generation of the spontaneous epidural haematoma. When facing an epidural haematoma as a complication of sickle cell disease in a hospital of the Third world conditions, a cautious attitude towards surgery should be observed because of the high complication rate. If the relation between the haematoma and the anaemia is not immediately apparent, we are in favour of starting treatment with antibiotics.