Lumbar Radiculopathy Caused by Epidural Gas Collection
Dong Hu1, Kai Xu1, Songhua Xiao1
1Department of Orthopedic, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Degenerated intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine are commonly found with vacuum phenomenon. In a few cases, gas can migrate into the lumbar spinal canal and compress the nerve root. Case Presentation. We report a case of lumbar radiculopathy caused by epidural gas collection in a 59-year-old woman. Originally, the gas was formed in the intervertebral disc and possibly migrated backward because of the motion of lumbar spine, forming a single large gas formation. The nerve root was freed from the gas-filled cyst after needle puncture was performed. Patient's symptoms in the leg were significantly relieved following surgery.
Conclusion:
There is still no satisfactory explanation for the pathogenesis of gas formation in the spinal canal. In our case, the presence of gas in the spinal canal and gas inside a narrowed disc suggests a communication between the two structures.
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