Multilevel thoracic disk herniations: CT and MR studies

Thoracic disk herniation is a disorder that can present clinically perplexing problems for physicians. The true incidence of thoracic disk herniation is difficult to assess with various authors reporting an incidence ranging between 0.15 and 1.8% of all disk herniations. Multiple thoracic disk herniations are rare and, to the best of our knowledge, have received little attention in the orthopedic, neurosurgical, and radiological literature. A retrospective review of 680 myelograms performed at our institution was carried out and only three cases of multilevel thoracic disk herniations were found. We analyze these cases, discuss the relative value of the imaging modalities used in their diagnosis, and review the literature dealing with this interesting disorder.