Epidural Spinal Cord Compression as the Presenting Manifestation of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report and Literature Review

This is a case report about a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after experiencing spinal cord compression. The compression was due to a mass that had formed outside of the spinal cord but within the epidural space, which is a rare way for AML to first appear. The boy had symptoms like back pain, weakness in his legs, and problems with bladder and bowel control. Doctors performed surgery to remove the mass and then started chemotherapy to treat the leukemia. While the chemotherapy was successful in eliminating the leukemia, the boy still had some neurological problems afterward. The report also includes a review of other similar cases in medical literature, highlighting that spinal cord compression from AML can worsen quickly. This suggests that it's very important to diagnose and treat it as soon as possible to avoid lasting nerve damage.

• 1
  A rare presentation of AML in a 14-year-old boy was spinal cord compression due to an epidural mass.
• 2
  Emergency laminectomy and resection of the mass were performed followed by chemotherapy, leading to complete remission of AML, however, neurological sequelae persisted.
• 3
  Spinal cord compression from epidural AML involvement can progress rapidly, emphasizing the need for prompt diagnosis and intervention.