Epidural lipomatosis. Interest of magnetic resonance imaging in a weight-reduction treated case.

An obese patient with bilateral sciatic pain had epidural lipomatosis on magnetic resonance examination. Treatment that used a weight-reduction program eliminated the symptoms, and after magnetic resonance imaging, revealed reduction of the lipomatosis deposits.

[Lumbo-radicular pain caused by epidural lipomatosis in an obese patient: recovery after hypocaloric diet].

The case reported concerns an obese patient suffering from lumbo-radicular intermittent claudication due to lumbar epidural lipomatosis. Compression was revealed by magnetic resonance imaging which showed the existence of a hypersignal in weighted sequences in T1 situated in the epidural space and narrowing the dural sheath. Three cases of lumbar epidural lipomatosis related to obesity have already been described.