Symptomatic Gas-Containing Herniated Disc With the Vacuum Phenomenon: Mechanism and Treatment

作者：Chang-Hyun Lee, Jae-Hoon Cho, Seung-Jae Hyun, Sang Hoon Yoon, Ki-Jeong Kim, Hyun-Jib Kim · 发表于：Neurologia medico-chirurgica · 年份：2012 · DOI：10.2176/nmc.52.106 · 被引用次数：27 · 研究领域：Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology、Spinal Hematomas and Complications、Anesthesia and Pain Management

A 76-year-old woman presented with an extremely rare case of symptomatic gas-containing disc herniation manifesting as left posterolateral thigh pain and ankle dorsiflexion motor weakness. The diagnosis was L3-4 vacuum disc associated with epidural pneumorrhachis. The patient underwent partial hemilaminectomy and cyst incision. After incising the cyst, the thecal sac and root were decompressed sufficiently. Vacuum disc is a common phenomenon in the elderly rarely associated with pneumorrhachis and is usually asymptomatic. Symptomatic epidural gas-containing herniated discs with the vacuum phenomenon are very rare. Gas aspiration should be considered, but excision of the gas-containing herniated disc should be performed in patients with neurological deficits, frequent recurrence, or difficult location to approach.