Pediatric lumbar disc herniation

Case contributed by Henry Knipe
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Low back pain for 8 weeks. Positive straight leg raise and absent left ankle reflex on examination.

Patient Data

Age: 15 years
Gender: Male

L5-S1: Left paracentral zone high T2 signal disc protrusion compressing the traversing left S1 nerve root. Mild spinal canal stenosis. Neural exit foramina are capacious.

Case Discussion

Lumbar disc herniations are less frequent in children and adolescents than in adults. They are very uncommon in patients under 20 years and extremely rare under the age of 10 years. Unlike adults, trauma (sports-related chiefly) is the most common cause of adolescent disc herniations. Non-surgical treatment is recommended as first-line although pediatric patients respond very well to surgery.

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