Aim Spinal epidural hematomas are rare entity in neurosurgery practice. Most of 
them are spontaneous due to anticoagulant therapy and called spontaneous spinal 
epidural hematomas (SSEHs). Laminectomy or hemilaminectomy for affected levels 
is still the first choice in the operative treatment of an SSEH. We describe a 
new less invasive surgical technique, performing single-level laminectomy and 
washing with 0.9% sodium chloride through a thin soft catheter for a 12-level 
thoracic-cervical SSEH in a patient under anticoagulant therapy. Patient and 
Operative Technique A 55-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department 
with a rapid onset of pain in her upper back and both legs with weakness of her 
lower extremities. An urgent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the whole spine 
showed a SEH. During the operation, after T2 laminectomy, a thin soft catheter 
was epidurally placed under the T1 lamina and gently pushed forward rostrally. 
Then continuous saline irrigation was utilized and aspiration made via the 
catheter to wash out the hematoma. Drainage of blood was observed. The procedure 
was performed for 15 minutes. Then the catheter was epidurally placed under the 
T3 lamina, and the procedure for the hematoma in the lower segment was repeated. 
Decompression of spinal cord and nerve roots was observed. Result Postoperative 
early MRI of the thoracic-cervical spine showed gross total evacuation of the 
SEH. Accordingly, the patient's muscle strength improved. Conclusion Although 
multiple laminectomy or hemilaminectomy for affected levels to evacuate the 
hematoma and decompress the spinal cord is the main choice of surgical 
treatment, single-level laminectomy and irrigation plus aspiration via a thin 
soft catheter can be performed successfully with good results in SSEH.