Lumbar radiculopathy due to unilateral facet hypertrophy following lumbar disc hernia operation: a case report.
OBJECTIVE
To present a radiculopathy case due to unilateral facet hypertrophy developing three years after a lumbar disc hernia operation.


METHODS
A fifty two-year-old female patient, who had been operated on for a left L5-S1 herniated lumbar disc three years ago, was hospitalized and re-operated with a diagnosis of unilateral facet hypertrophy. She had complaints of left leg pain and walking restrictions for the last six months. Left Straight Leg Raising test was positive at 40 degrees , left ankle dorsiflexion muscle strength was 4/5, left Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle strength was 3/5, and left Achilles reflex was hypoactive. Lumbar spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging revealed left L5-S1 facet hypertrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
Lumbar radiculopathy due to lumbar facet hypertrophy is a well-known neurological condition. Radicular pain develops during the late postoperative period following lumbar disc hernia operations that are often related to recurrent disc herniation or to formation of post-operative scar tissue. In addition, it can be speculated that unilateral facet hypertrophy, which may develop after a disc hernia operation, might also be one of the causes of radiculopathy.
S.B. Ankara Etlik Ihtisas Hospital, Neurosurgery Department, Ankara, Turkey.
Fatih
F
Kökeş
Ahmet
A
Günaydin
Ahmet
A
Aciduman
Mehmet
M
Kalan
Halit
H
Koçak
D017586:Diskectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology; D021801:Zygapophyseal Joint / Q000473:pathology*