Andersson Lesion Occurring in the Lumbosacral Segment of a Young Man: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Andersson lesion (AL) is not a rare complication of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but it seldom occurs in single lumbosacral segments or young people. We present a case of a young patient with AS and AL between L5 and S1.

Case description: A 30-year-old man with a history of AS presented with AL between L5 and S1. Surgery performed under O-arm navigation was successful. At 6-month follow-up, the patient's pain was reduced, and his function had improved.

Conclusions: AL rarely occurs in the lumbosacral region or in young people and can be misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis. Surgical treatment of AL aims to relieve spinal nerve compression, reconstruct spinal stability, and restore sagittal balance. In view of the ambiguous anatomic landmark of patients with AS, we recommend surgery assisted with O-arm navigation, which clearly showed the entry point and guaranteed the accuracy of pedicle screw placements.

Keywords: Andersson lesion; Ankylosing spondylitis; Lumbosacral region; O-arm navigation; Spinal tuberculosis.