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Case Reports
. 2017 Oct-Dec;8(4):384-386.
doi: 10.4103/jcvjs.JCVJS_105_17.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis as an unusual cause of back pain in a child: A case report and review of literature

Hemaswetha Balachandran  1 , Latha M Sneha  2 , Gopinath Menon  3 , Julius Scott  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Langerhans cell histiocytosis as an unusual cause of back pain in a child: A case report and review of literature

Hemaswetha Balachandran et al. J Craniovertebr Junction Spine. 2017 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Low back pain in children and adolescents are usually attributed to mechanical causes and faulty positions. Although most of them are self-limiting, physicians should be aware of the red flag signs that warrant complete evaluation to rule out malignant causes of back pain. As delay in the diagnosis of vertebral lytic lesion may have sequelae in the growing children, pain disproportionate to the signs should have low threshold levels for evaluation. We report a case of 6-year-old boy who presented with worsening back pain. Initially evaluated for tuberculosis spine, he was diagnosed to have Langerhans cell histiocytosis of spine. He improved symptomatically with chemotherapy and spine orthosis and is in complete remission now.

Keywords: Back pain; Langerhans cell histiocytosis; children.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a and b) Magnetic resonance imaging lumbosacral spine prechemotherapy: Saggital short T1 inversion recovery and axial T2 weighted sequence show mildly hyperintense lesion in the body and right pedicle of L4 vertebra, minimial soft tissue is seen in the adjacent epidural space and ipsilateral neural foramina, vertebral body height is maintained
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Magnetic resonance imaging lumbosacral spine: Saggital T2 weighted magnetic resonance showing moderate collapse of L4 vertebral body. (b) Magnetic resonance imaging lumbosacral spine: Axial T2 weighted post chemo images show complete resolution in the epidural soft tissue component
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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