Transverse myelitis is often clinically indistinguishable from compressive myelopathies that require emergent neurosurgical intervention. Here, we present a case of acute varicella zoster virus transverse myelitis that was associated with a compressive fluid collection on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requiring emergent operative intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of acute transverse myelitis and a compressive cord lesion in the adult population.
Keywords: Transverse myelitis; cord compression; epidural abscess; neurological emergency; varicella.
© 2021 The Authors. JACEP Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Emergency Physicians.