Lumbar spinal stenosis in a patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophy syndrome

Lumbar spinal stenosis is associated with a variety of conditions, including dysplastic narrowing of the spine, lumbar spondylosis, Paget's disease, and achondroplastic dwarfism. No case of lumbar stenosis associated with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) previously has been described. It would appear that this case could represent either another manifestation of DISH characterized by involvement of the ligamentum flavum or coincidental association with lumbar spondylosis. In either case, physicians treating spinal and skeletal diseases should be aware of potential neurologic complications requiring surgical decompression due to narrowing of the spinal canal in this unusual disorder.