We describe a 9-year-old female with thoracic epidural haematoma. The clinical course simulated Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) so intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was started at the paediatric clinic. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3 days after admission showed thoracic epidural haematoma between T2 and T8. An emergency laminectomy was performed and the patient's neurological symptoms began to improve immediately after surgery and she made a full recovery during the 2 weeks of follow-up. Time is a very important factor in achieving reversibility of symptoms of compressive cord lesions, such as spinal epidural haematoma, and MRI is mandatory for patients with progressive paraplegia, even though the signs and symptoms might suggest GBS.