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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Optical Sectioning and Visualization of the Intervertebral Disc from Embryonic Development to Degeneration
Published on: July 8, 2021
[Case study of two children with intervertebral disc calcifications]
Eitel Igor Kouamo1, Merouane Nour1, Jean Marie Gennar1
1Service de Chirurgie Infantile, Hôpital Nord Chemin des Bourrelys, 13015 Marseille, France.
Insights
Intervertebral disc calcifications in children, often in the cervical spine, can cause pain crises. Early diagnosis with imaging is crucial for unexplained back pain in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Radiology
- Spinal Imaging
Background:
- Intervertebral disc calcifications are rare in children.
- Cervical spine is the most common site, but other locations can be asymptomatic.
- Etiopathogenesis remains largely unknown.
Observation:
- Two pediatric cases of symptomatic cervical disc calcifications are presented.
- Case 1: A 4.5-year-old girl with torticollis due to migrating calcification.
- Case 2: A 5-year-old boy with acute neck pain and detected disc calcification.
Findings:
- Symptomatic cervical disc calcifications can present with torticollis or acute neck pain.
- Conservative treatment was utilized in both reported cases.
- Diagnosis requires careful neurological examination and imaging.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering disc calcifications in pediatric neck pain.
- Emphasizes the role of imaging in diagnosing subtle spinal conditions in children.
- Underscores the need for further research into the causes of pediatric disc calcifications.
Abstract:
Disc calcifications are usually revealed in children by pain crises that affect the spine. The most common location for disc calcifications is the cervical spine. However, other locations are less symptomatic and they may well go unnoticed. We here report two cases of children hospitalized with symptomatic cervical disc calcifications. The first case involves a girl aged four and a half suffering from torticollis revealing the migration of a previously asymptomatic disc calcification ; the second case, instead, involves a 5-year old boy presenting for acute neck pain and in whom calcification disc was detected. Treatment was essentially conservative. Intervertebral disc calcifications in children are a rare condition whose etiopathogenesis remains unknown. In the case of children with unexplained back pain the diagnosis should not be made without careful neurological examination and imaging tests.
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