Traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis treated five months after injury occurrence: a case report.
METHODS
A case report.


OBJECTIVE
To describe a case of traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis and present a literature review.


BACKGROUND
Traumatic spondyloptosis is a very rare injury caused by high-energy trauma. Eight cases of traumatic spondyloptosis of L5-S1 have been reported, including only 1 case treated 8.5 months after injury occurrence.


METHODS
A 45-year-old Myanmar male experienced severe lower back pain and paresis of the lower extremities after a landslide disaster. Plain radiographs showed spondyloptosis, with the 5th lumbar vertebra located anterior to the 1st sacral vertebra. Computed tomography myelography demonstrated complete bilateral pars interarticularis fracture dislocation at L5-S1 and a complete block between L5 and S1 with apparent spondyloptosis. Neurological function of this patient improved after conservative treatment for 5 months; however, his severe lower back pain persisted. Thus, surgery for in situ posterior decompression and fusion of L3-S1 was performed.


RESULTS
Lower back pain of the patient had nearly disappeared 2 weeks after surgery, and he was able to walk for more than 1 hour without assistance 2 years after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
We performed posterior decompression and in situ fusion of L3-S1 for the patients with traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis treated 5 months after injury, and the surgery produced a favorable clinical outcome.
Department of Spinal Surgery and Medical Engineering, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Wongtong
W
Wangtaphan
Myint
M
Oo
Permsak
P
Paholpak
Zhuo
Z
Wang
Toshihiko
T
Sakakibara
Yuichi
Y
Kasai
D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012447:Sacrum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*