A patient with   thalassaemia major and back pain

Answers Short answers 1 Acute spinal cord compression with a sensory level at T5 caused by extramedullary haematopoiesis. 2 The magnetic resonance image shows spinal cord compression, maximal at T5 and T8, caused by masses of extramedullary haematopoiesis behind the spinal canal compressing the cord...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ 2008-11, Vol.337 (nov19 2), p.a2304-a2304
Main Authors: Tsitsikas, D. A, Barroso, F. A, Telfer, P., Kaya, B., Evanson, J., Provan, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Back pain
Bone marrow
Long term
Patients
Radiation therapy
Spinal cord
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Answers Short answers 1 Acute spinal cord compression with a sensory level at T5 caused by extramedullary haematopoiesis. 2 The magnetic resonance image shows spinal cord compression, maximal at T5 and T8, caused by masses of extramedullary haematopoiesis behind the spinal canal compressing the cord. 3 In the acute setting, surgical decompression or local low dose radiotherapy will alleviate cord compression. An intensified transfusion programme or treatment with hydroxycarbamide can help reduce the rate of relapse after any initial intervention. 3 4 Long term-Hypertransfusion alleviates anaemia by reducing the production of erythropoietin, minimising the endogenous ineffective erythropoiesis, and reducing the need for extramedullary haematopoiesis.
ISSN:0959-8138
1468-5833
1756-1833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.a2304