Radicular Abdominal Pain Associated with Thoracic Disc Herniation: A Case Report
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Updated: Nov 6, 2026

Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Taku Harada1,2, Kazushi Yamasato1
1Department of General Medicine, Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital, Japan.
Abstract:
Symptomatic thoracic disc herniation is rare and it may present as abdominal pain, mimicking intra-abdominal disease. A 67-year-old man presented with acute left hypochondrial pain. Extensive gastrointestinal and neurological evaluations were inconclusive; however, focal tenderness over the upper thoracic spine prompted magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed a Th3-4 disc herniation compressing the left nerve root. Radicular abdominal pain resolved rapidly after selective nerve root block. In patients with otherwise unexplained abdominal pain in whom an abdominal visceral cause seems unlikely, spinal and spinal cord disorders, including radiculopathy, should be considered.
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