Brown-Sequard Syndrome of the Cervical Spinal Cord after Acupuncture Therapy

Although the complications due to acupuncture are rare, twenty-one cases with spinal cord injury as a complication of acupuncture have been reported. However, intradural hematoma causing Brown-Sequard syndrome has not been described previously. We report a case of intradural hematoma in the left hemicord at the C3-4 level on MR images after acupuncture therapy. The patient developed Brown-Sequard syndrome. On exploration with C3-4 osteoplastic laminotomy, the hematoma was located in the subarachnoid space, and was presumably caused by injury of perimedullary vein. The patient fully recovered except moderate right thermohypesthesia. Brown-Sequard syndrome due to the penetrating cord injury by acupuncture needle in this case was not caused by direct injury but by venous bleeding followed by unilateral compression of the cord by intradural hematoma.