Intervertebral chondrocalcinosis: A coincidental finding possibly related to previous surgery

Chondrocalcinosis of the intervertebral discs is a common finding in patients who have had prior surgical procedures involving the same or adjacent disc space. The crystals in the tissues have the characteristic morphologic and spectrophotometric features of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate. None of the patients described herein had clinical or radiographic evidence of crystal accumulation in sites remote from the surgical procedure. We propose that the surgical trauma may have played a role in the induction of the crystal deposits.