title: Spinal nerve root ganglionitis as a cause of disc herniation: case report.
abstract: The authors report on a patient in whom monoradicular pain was caused by ganglionitis of a spinal nerve. Neuroimaging and intraoperative findings identified what were thought to be tumorlike changes in the affected nerve root. The neuropathological examination, however, revealed typical signs of ganglionitis. This rare inflammation usually appears with viral infections, as part of paraneoplastic symptoms, or in the presence of Sjögren disease. Because all of these differential diagnoses were negative in the treated patient, chronic nerve root compression due to disc herniation was suspected as the causative factor for the spinal ganglionitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tübingen, Germany. f.roser@gmx.de
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roser
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ritz
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morgalla
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatagiba
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bornemann
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery