Adult acute calcific discitis confined to the nucleus pulposus in the cervical spine Case report

作者：Azizaddini Shahrzad; Arefanian Saeed; Redjal Navid^*; Walcott Brian P; Mollahoseini Reza

来源：Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine, 2013, 19(2): 170-173.

DOI：10.3171/2013.4.SPINE12906

• cervical spine
• disc
• calcium
• adult
• nucleus pulposus
• congenital
• trauma

Acute calcific discitis is a rare condition in the pediatric population and has been reported in only 2 instances in the adult population. This report describes a case of acute calcific discitis that uniquely presented in the adult cervical spine. A 22-year-old woman presented with the chief complaint of sudden-onset neck pain. Nonsurgical management, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, provided moderate symptom relief. Radiography revealed nucleus pulposus calcification at the C2-3 level. Contrast-enhanced MRI did not reveal any additional abnormalities. Further nonsurgical management, including physical therapy and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, led to complete symptom relief within 6 months. Follow-up imaging demonstrated that the calcification had nearly resolved. Acute calcific discitis should be managed conservatively; the prognosis for a complete recovery is excellent. The pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be elucidated, and the disorder is not exclusive to the pediatric population.

• 出版日期2013-8