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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
05:53
Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Diffuse vertebral body edema due to calcified intraspongious disk herniation
M A Rodacki1, C E S Castro, D S Castro
1Ecomax-Diagnóstico por Imagem, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. remarkar.bnu@terra.com.br
Neuroradiology
|May 14, 2005
Summary
This case study highlights a rare instance of intervertebral disk herniation into the T9 vertebral body. Prompt diagnosis and conservative treatment led to a full recovery and normalization of MRI findings.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Orthopedics
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Intervertebral disc herniation can present with varied imaging findings.
- Thoracic spine involvement is less common than lumbar or cervical.
- Differentiating disc herniation from other pathologies like tumors or infections is crucial.
Observation:
- A patient presented with high back pain and MRI findings suggestive of diffuse edema in the T9 vertebral body.
- MRI revealed intervertebral disc herniation into the spongious bone of T9, with characteristic signal intensities on FLAIR-T1W, T2W, T2W-FSIs, and T1W-FSIs.
- Plain films and CT scans were instrumental in identifying calcification within the herniated disc fragment.
Findings:
- The imaging findings mimicked tumoral or inflammatory processes due to bone marrow edema.
- Computed tomography confirmed a calcified intervertebral disc fragment migrating into the T9 vertebral body.
- Conservative treatment resulted in complete symptom resolution and normalized bone marrow signal intensity on follow-up MRI.
Implications:
- This case underscores the importance of integrating multiple imaging modalities for accurate diagnosis of thoracic spine pathologies.
- It demonstrates that conservative management can be effective for select cases of intervertebral disc herniation with vertebral body involvement.
- Recognizing the imaging spectrum of disc herniation is key to avoiding misdiagnosis and unnecessary interventions.
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