Long-standing intraspinal glass fragments causing subsequent radiculopathy after dorsal stabilization.
A 37-year-old female presented with a history of lumbar intraspinal glass fragments due to an accident in childhood. The patient developed progressive right convexity thoracolumbar scoliosis during puberty. Twenty-eight years after the accident, horizontalization of this deformity was performed by dorsal stabilization. Postoperatively the patient complained of acute L-5 radiculopathy. Radiological examination detected multiple glass fragments intra- and extradurally around the L3-4 levels with compression of the dural sac. Microsurgical removal of the extra- and intradural glass fragments led to complete relief of the radicular pain. Foreign bodies can become symptomatic due to changes in the status of the spine, especially during growth in young patients.
Roser
Florian
F
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. f.roser@gmx.de
Ritz
Rainer
R
Ebner
Florian H
FH
Freudenstein
Dirk
D
Tatagiba
Marcos
M
D000328:Adult; D004388:Dura Mater; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery