title: [Treatment of thoracic disc herniation. Case report].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Herniated thoracic intervertebral disc is a rare cause of spinal cord compression. Its frequency varies from 0.15% to 1.7% of all disc herniations, and produces symptoms in 0.5% to 0.8%.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case 1. A 50-year-old woman, with pain and burning sensation in left hemithorax of four months of onset. It was treated as a herpetic syndrome, with no improvement. She was seen after thirteen days of exacerbation of clinical symptoms. The physical examination showed asymmetric paraparesis, lower left pelvic limb 1/5, and right pelvic limb 3/5¸ sensory level T8, with left Babinski positive. A thoracic disc herniation in space T8-T9 was diagnosed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 55-year-old patient with a history of presenting pain in lumbar area of 5 years onset. She also had radicular pain that radiated to the right pelvic limb, with intensity 10/10 on a Visual Analogue Scale. Her physical examination showed muscle strength 5/5, with normal sensitivity in all dermatomes and tendon reflexes, and a positive right Babinski. Thoracic disc herniation T7-T8 level was diagnosed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to anatomical conditions that define this type of hernia, the extracavitary posterolateral approach should be the recommended surgical procedure when the simultaneously performed anterior decompression and fixation with posterior instrumentation are the treatments proposed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the different anatomical structures of this special area, it was possible to obtain satisfactory results for both clinical cases.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirugía y Unidad de Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío, León, Guanajuato, México. Electronic address: guiamayoramigo2001@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mauricio Leonardo
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Picado-Baca
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirugía y Unidad de Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío, León, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: José Nicolás
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Mireles-Cano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirugía y Unidad de Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Aranda de la Parra, León, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Víctor Manuel
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: León-Meza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirugía y Unidad de Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío, León, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Oscar Guillermo
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: García-González
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirugía y Unidad de Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío, León, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramos-Trujillo
mesh_terms: D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Compresión medular; Hernia discal; Hernia torácica; Herniated disc; Spinal cord compression; Thoracic hernia