A 27-year-old-man with beta-thalassaemia/HbE presented with signs and symptoms of spinal cord compression due to epidural extramedullary haematopoiesis. Magnetic resonance images demonstrated spinal cord constriction and atrophy suggesting that the disease process was long-standing. On transverse T2-weighted images, high signal intensity was observed within the spinal cord suggestive of post-compressive spinal cord myelomalacia or gliosis.