title: Vertebral destruction due to abdominal aortic aneurysm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low back pain is a common cause of medical consultation, and usually supposes a non-malignant prognostic.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report an atypical appearance of low back pain associated to shock and pulsatile abdominal mass that made us diagnose an abdominal aortic aneurysm as reason of vertebral lysis and pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical repair of contained AAA should be directed to secondary re-rupture prevention, with an approximate survival near to 100% at selected patients for elective surgery. Consequently, orthopedic surgery for back spine stabilization has to be elective in those cases when vertebral destruction is above 30% and clinic is directly related to spine instability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We should consider AAA as other cause of low back pain and routinely examine the abdomen and seek complementary imaging proves when risk factors for AAA are present.
authors.affiliation: Department of trauma and orthopedics surgery, Spine Unit, University Hospital of Salamanca, IBSAL, Spain. Electronic address: juanfer86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Jiménez Viseu Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Department of trauma and orthopedics surgery, Spine Unit, University Hospital of Salamanca, IBSAL, Spain.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Blanco Blanco
authors.affiliation: Department of trauma and orthopedics surgery, Spine Unit, University Hospital of Salamanca, IBSAL, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pescador Hernández
authors.affiliation: Department of trauma and orthopedics surgery, Spine Unit, University Hospital of Salamanca, IBSAL, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García García
keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Aneurisma aorta abdominal; Chronic rupture; Destrucción vertebral; Dolor lumbar; Lisis vertebral; Low back pain; Rotura crónica; Vertebral fixation; Vertebral lysis