title: Adult acute calcific discitis confined to the nucleus pulposus in the cervical spine: case report.
abstract: Acute calcific discitis is a rare condition in the pediatric population and has been reported in only 2 instances in the adult population. This report describes a case of acute calcific discitis that uniquely presented in the adult cervical spine. A 22-year-old woman presented with the chief complaint of sudden-onset neck pain. Nonsurgical management, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, provided moderate symptom relief. Radiography revealed nucleus pulposus calcification at the C2-3 level. Contrast-enhanced MRI did not reveal any additional abnormalities. Further nonsurgical management, including physical therapy and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, led to complete symptom relief within 6 months. Follow-up imaging demonstrated that the calcification had nearly resolved. Acute calcific discitis should be managed conservatively; the prognosis for a complete recovery is excellent. The pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be elucidated, and the disorder is not exclusive to the pediatric population.
authors.affiliation: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahrzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azizaddini
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arefanian
authors.forename: Navid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Redjal
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Walcott
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mollahoseini
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D015299:Discitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult