Delayed onset of a spinal epidural hematoma after facet joint injection.
The treatment of chronic back pain is a challenging problem. Facet joint infiltration is an established treatment for chronic low back pain caused by arthrosis of the lumbar facet joints. Due to the increasing number of patients with chronic low back pain, this therapy has become more frequent. We treated a 51-year-old male patient, who developed an epidural hematoma 2 months after infiltration therapy. Our case shows that even a delayed onset of spinal epidural hematoma is possible and should be kept in mind as a possible cause of acute myelopathy after spinal intervention.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Traumatology and Trauma Surgery, Wolfenbüttel Municipal Hospital, Wolfenbüttel, Germany.
Mirko
M
Velickovic
Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Tobias M
TM
Ballhause
Facet joint; epidural hematoma; facet joint injection; low back pain