[Isolated posterior pre-marginal hernia. Apropos of 6 cases]

Posterior pre-marginal disk hernia, a rare lesion, was diagnosed in six young adults with lumbago. Lateral lumbar spine radiographic images showed an unusual appearance, combining a posterior marginal defect of a vertebral corner and a small bony spicule projecting into lumbar canal. A literature review revealed 27 similar cases, mostly in adolescents. These vertebral disk anomalies are considered by some authors to be fractures of the posterior margin border. A more plausible hypothesis is a pre-marginal hernia, because of lack of a history of injury, the radiologic appearance comparable with that of sequelae of Scheuermann's disease, and the frequent association of these lesions with a spinal growth dystrophy.