title: Herniated intervertebral disc associated with a lumbar spine dislocation as a cause of cauda equina syndrome: a case report.
abstract: To report a case of Cauda Equina syndrome with the completion of the paralysis after the reduction of a L4L5 dislocation due to a herniated disc. Although several articles have described a post-traumatic disc herniation in the cervical spinal canal, this is not well known in the lumbar region. A 30-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room with blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen with multiple contusions plus a dislocation of L4-L5 with an incomplete neurological injury. After an emergency open reduction and instrumentation of the dislocation, the patient developed a complete cauda equina syndrome that has resulted from an additional compression of the dural sac by a herniated disc. In a dislocation of the lumbar spine, MRI study is mandatory to check the state of the spinal canal prior to surgical reduction. A posterior approach is sufficient for reduction of the vertebral displacement, however an intra-canal exploration for bony or disc material should be systematically done.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery, Hotel Dieu de France Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon. gaby.kreichati@hdf.usj.edu.lb
authors.forename: Gaby E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Kreichati
authors.forename: Farid N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Kassab
authors.forename: Khalil E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Kharrat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D007796:Laminectomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012447:Sacrum / Q000293:injuries; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000150:complications