Symptomatic intraspinal air entrapment.
A 59-year-old man who had undergone the removal of a lipoma of the thoracic spine presented with progressive weakness of the lower limbs when lumbar puncture followed drainage of a subcutaneous collection of cerebrospinal fluid. Computed tomography showed entrapped intraspinal air which compressed the spinal cord. This rare, but serious complication can occur in a patient with altered intrathecal pressure following spinal surgery.
Uemura
K
K
Department of Neurosurgery, Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg, Germany.
Behr
R
R
Roosen
K
K
D000388:Air; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008067:Lipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed