
View larger version (43K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
A 68-year-old woman with corticosteroid-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was admitted to the hospital for worsening respiratory symptoms and for new-onset weakness in both legs. Physical examination revealed poor air entry and rales throughout both lung fields, as well as decreased sensation to a pinprick in the right leg, no sensation in the left leg, and paralysis of both legs. A T1-weighted sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the spine (Panel A) revealed multiple compression fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae (arrowheads) and spinal epidural lipomatosis (arrows). A T1-weighted axial MRI scan (Panel B) confirmed the . . . [Full Text of this Article] |