Bilateral pedicle stress fracture in the lumbar spine of a sedentary office worker

A case of bilateral pedicle fracture in the lumbar spine of a sedentary office worker is being presented. No such case has been reported in the literature previously. Bilateral pedicle fracture is a rare entity. Few cases have been reported in literature. All the reported cases had some underlying causative factors like degenerative spine disease, previous spinal surgery or stress-related activities, e.g. athletes. Our case is a 36-year-old sedentary office worker with none of the factors mentioned. We present a case of a 36-year-old sedentary worker with long-standing low backache. There were no root tension signs. Plain radiographs were inconclusive. The patient had a CT scan. The CT scan revealed long-standing defects in the pedicles of L2 vertebra with pseudoarthrosis. Infiltration with anaesthetic relieved the symptoms. Our patient was managed conservatively with spine rehabilitation physiotherapy program. Pedicle fracture can develop due to abnormal stresses in the pedicle either because of previous spinal surgery or spondylitic changes in the spine. Bilateral pedicle fracture in the absence of these conditions is extremely rare

Anterior shear strength of the porcine lumbar spine after laminectomy and partial facetectomy

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for lumbar surgery in patients in the age of 65 years and older. The standard surgical management is decompression of the spinal canal by laminectomy and partial facetectomy. The effect of this procedure on the shear strength of the spine has not yet been investigated in vitro. In the present study we determined the ultimate shear force to failure, the displacement and the shear stiffness after performing a laminectomy and a partial facetectomy. Eight lumbar spines of domestic pigs (7 months old) were sectioned to obtain eight L2–L3 and eight L4–L5 motion segments. All segments were loaded with a compression force of 1,600 N. In half of the 16 motion segments a laminectomy and a 50% partial facetectomy were applied. The median ultimate shear force to failure with laminectomy and partial facetectomy was 1,645 N (range 1,066–1,985) which was significantly smaller (p = 0.012) than the ultimate shear force to failure of the control segments (median 2,113, range 1,338–2,659). The median shear stiffness was 197.4 N/mm (range 119.2–216.7) with laminectomy and partial facetectomy which was significantly (p = 0.036) smaller than the stiffness of the control specimens (median 216.5, 188.1–250.2). It was concluded that laminectomy and partial facetectomy resulted in 22% reduction in ultimate shear force to failure and 9% reduction in shear stiffness. Although relatively small, these effects may explain why patients have an increased risk of sustaining shear force related vertebral fractures after spinal decompression surgery

Spontaneus bilateral pedicle fracture 30 years after Harrington Instrumentation for idiopathic scoliosis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Spontaneous fractures of the spine are a common entity. They usually occur in older people with osteoporosis. This case is presented on account of its rarity. To the best of the authors' knowledge only one case of an osteoporotic pedicle fracture after Harrington Instrumentation has been described before.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 46-year-old Caucasian woman who underwent surgery due to idiopathic scoliosis with a Harrington Instrumentation (T4 to L3) 30 years ago. During the operation she was infected with hepatitis C while receiving erythrocyte concentrates and has suffered from liver cirrhosis since then. She presented with a sudden pain in her lower back and paraesthesia in both her legs but no other neurological symptoms. A computed tomography scan showed a bilateral pedicle fracture of L3 and an additional compression fracture of L4. In the first session we performed a dorsal stabilization with massive intraoperative bleeding and a postoperative failure of liver synthesis. In a second session an additional ventral augmentation was done. After the second operation she developed a hepatorenal syndrome. Both operations left the patient in a very critical state which led to a prolonged stay in the intensive care and rehabilitation unit. At her 12-month follow-up visit, she was free of complaints.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The un-physiological load of the spine after Harrington Instrumentation can lead to osteoporosis due to inactivity even in younger patients. Although these implants are not used anymore one should keep this possibility in mind when dealing with patients who have received Harrington rods in surgical procedures.</p

Bilateral pedicle stress fracture in a patient with osteoporotic compression fracture

A case of bilateral pedicle stress fracture of L4 in a patient with osteoporotic compression fracture of L5 and without a history of major trauma or surgery is reported, and the literature is reviewed. Bilateral pedicle fracture is a rare entity and few cases have been reported in the literature. All reported cases had some underlying causative factors like previous spine surgery or stress related activities. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, only one case of bilateral pedicle stress fracture without a history of trauma, previous spine surgery, or stress-related activities has been reported. A 77-year-old woman presented with severe low back pain and radiating pain in the right leg that was exacerbated after standing and walking. Plain radiograph showed pathological fracture at L5 level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the compression of dural sac at L5 level. CT scan taken 3 months after admission revealed bilateral pedicle fractures through L4. The patient was treated with decompressive laminectomies of L4, followed by posterior spinal fusion with rigid pedicle screw fixation and autogenous bone graft mixed with hydroxyapatite. The patient achieved pain relief and returned to normal activity. Stress fracture of the pedicle within the proximal vertebra of an osteoporotic compression fracture of lumbar spine is an uncommon entity. It may, however, be an additional source of symptoms in patients with osteoporosis who present with further back pain. Surgeons caring for this group of patients should be aware of this condition