Traumatic lateral spondyloptosis of L2 with complete neurological deficit: A case report

Traumatic spondyloptosis of the lumbar spine is an uncommon and severe clinical entity, which is defined as complete fracture dislocation and subluxation (>100%) of one vertebral body in the coronal or sagittal plane from its adjacent vertebra. In coronal spondyloptosis the subluxated vertebral bodies lie beside each other, and the condition is lateraloptosis.

A male patient aged 56 years had multiple injures with complete neurological deficit. Computed tomography(CT) revealed as spondyloptosis, which L2 detached from the rest of the spine, spinal canal stenosis, sagittal imbalance, and angular kyphosis. We performed an en bloc corpectomy and iliac bone combined part of the vertebra body replanted in situ with posterior transpedicular fixation of T12-L4, with the sagittal balance recovered and motor function improved progressively.

Traumatic spondyloptosis requires an early resolution by a trained surgical team to ensure sagittal re-alignment for a progressive neurological recovery.