title: Partial cauda equina syndrome after an uneventful minimally invasive microdiscectomy in a patient with Crohn's disease.
abstract: Cauda equina syndrome is a serious condition resulting from dysfunction of the lumbosacral nerve roots and characterized by impairment of bladder, bowel, sexual and lower limb functions. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who had Crohn's disease for more than twenty years. The patient was undergoing immunotherapy with infliximab and developed a partial cauda equina syndrome after an uneventful minimally invasive microdiscectomy (L5-S1) that completely cured her sciatica. A postoperative magnetic resonance imaging examination showed root clumping but no compressive lesion. We discuss a possible relationship between the cauda equina syndrome and the patient's active Crohn's disease, treatment and surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital St-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: christian.raftopoulos@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Raftopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital St-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital St-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate, 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Joris
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital St-Luc, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Duprez
mesh_terms: D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D012585:Sciatica / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Autoimmune disease; Cauda equina syndrome; Crohn's disease; Infliximab; Minimally invasive microdiscectomy; Remicade