Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2008 May;43(5):239-41.
doi: 10.3340/jkns.2008.43.5.239. Epub 2008 May 20.

Posterior epidural migration of thoracic disc fragment

Il Sup Kim  1 , Sang Won Lee, Byung Chul Son, Jae Hoon Sung
Affiliations
Case Reports

Posterior epidural migration of thoracic disc fragment

Il Sup Kim et al. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2008 May.

Abstract

Migration of a disc fragment to the posterior epidural space is rare, especially in the thoracic spine. Only four such cases of posterior epidural migration of thoracic disc fragments have been reported. The authors report a case of 66-year-old man who presented with back pain and right leg weakness due to posterior epidural migration of thoracic disc fragment. The patient was successfully treated by laminectomy and partial facetectomy with disc removal.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging; Migration; Posterior epidural space; Thoracic disc herniation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A : Left Sagittal gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance image (MRI) of thoracic spine revealing a mass lesion with increased signal at the posterior extradural space at the T10-11 level. B : Axial gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted MRI at T10-11 disc level showing a rim enhancement of the posterior extradural disc material, compressing the dura, and combined right subarticular disc extrusion with thecal sac indentation.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Intraoperative photograph showing the posterior extradural migrated disc fragment (asterisk), which is tightly adherent to thecal sac and communicated with lateral soft disc.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Awwad EE, Martin DS, Smith KR, Jr, Baker BK. Asymptomatic versus symptomatic herniated thoracic discs : their frequency and characteristics as detected by computed tomography after myelography. Neurosurgery. 1991;28:180–186. - PubMed
    1. Bonaroti EA, Welch WC. Posterior epidural migration of an extruded lumbar disc fragment causing cauda equina syndrome. Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. Spine. 1998;23:378–381. - PubMed
    1. Bose B. Thoracic extruded disc mimicking spinal cord tumor. Spine J. 2003;3:82–86. - PubMed
    1. Choi BJ, Kim DH, Park HS, Rhee DY. Posterior migration of extruded lumbar disc fragments-case report. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2007;41:137–140.
    1. Dosoglu M, Is M, Gezen F, Ziyal MI. Posterior epidural migration of a lumbar disc fragment causing cauda equina syndrome : case report and review of the relevant literature. Eur Spine J. 2001;10:348–351. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources