Objectives: Spinal epidural lipomatosis, is a very rare condition, usually seen as an uncommon complication of Cushing's syndrome secondary to chronic steroid therapy leading to increased fat deposits in the epidural space.
Case report: We report the first documented case of acute symptomatic spinal epidural lipomatosis in a patient with relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The patient underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and a month of steroid treatment for acute graft vs. host disease (GvHD). He presented with a mild to moderate Cushing's syndrome and minimal obesity. He progressed rapidly to paraparesis, sensory deficit, urinary incontinence and finally respiratory arrest complicated with staphylococcal sepsis.
Conclusion: Epidural lipomatosis, with subacute thecal sac compression, is a possible life-threatening complication of relatively short-term systemic glucocorticoid therapy for GvHD in BMT setting.