Myelopathy in sickle cell disease: a case-oriented review.

Spinal cord compression by vertebral fractures, extramedullary hematopoietic tissue, and Salmonella epidural abscess have been reported in SCD. We found only three case reports of spinal cord infarction, which is unexpectedly infrequent compared to the prevalence of cerebral infarction in SCD. We found only one case report of varicella-zoster myelitis and no previous report of LETM in SCD patients. Specific and time-sensitive causes of myelopathy should be considered in SCD patients. In addition to compression and ischemia, LETM is a possible mechanism of spinal cord involvement in SCD patients.