Lumbar epidural vein thrombosis mimicking disc herniation: A report of 3 cases

Abstract

Epidural vein thrombosis is a rare cause of lumbosciatica than can clinically and radiologically mimic other causes of nerve root compression such as disc herniation. We describe 3 unusual cases of spinal epidural plexus vein thrombosis illustrating the difficulty in preoperative diagnosis of this entity. Misinterpretation of imaging findings can lead to an erroneous diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Knowledge of certain radiologic findings will increase the likelihood of recognizing epidural vein thrombosis.

Keywords

• Epidural vein thrombosis
• Herniation
• MRI
• Spine