Document Detail


Intravascular injection of contrast during lumbar discography: a previously unreported complication.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19067829     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: Report a case of intravascular contrast injection during lumbar discography. SETTING: An academic University spine center. PATIENT: Forty-year-old woman with L5-S1 degenerative disk disease and persistent low back pain. INTERVENTION: The patient failed to respond to multiple conservative treatments. In consideration of surgical treatment, discography was requested. RESULTS: A 22G needle was inserted to the central nucleus by a left posterolateral approach. Discography was performed at L4-5 and L5-S1. Testing was performed with pressure manometry, beginning with the L4-5 disk. The pressure increased with contrast injection in the manner of a normal disk. At 45 psi there was a sudden drop to 20 psi. Lateral views obtained during contrast injection demonstrated flow from a central nucleogram cephalad into the anterior epidural space. Images obtained with live fluoroscopy demonstrated a vascular flow pattern, confirmed with lateral and anterior-posterior views. The needle tip was repositioned anterior and superior. Repeat injection resulted in an identical vascular pattern. From the time the pressure dropped, contrast flowed in the vascular pattern without propagation of the nucleogram or increase in intradiscal pressure. The patient was asymptomatic throughout the injection at L4-5. Injection at L5-S1 demonstrated a severely degenerative nucleogram and reproduced the patient's usual low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular uptake of contrast can occur during lumbar discography, even when the needle tip is ideally located.
Authors:
Matthew Smuck; Timothy Yoon; Miles Colwell
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Case Reports; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)     Volume:  9     ISSN:  1526-4637     ISO Abbreviation:  Pain Med     Publication Date:  2008 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-12-10     Completed Date:  2009-02-12     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  100894201     Medline TA:  Pain Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1030-4     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
The Spine Program, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48170, USA. msmuck@med.umich.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Contrast Media / metabolism
Female
Fluoroscopy
Humans
Injections / adverse effects*
Low Back Pain / pathology,  radiography*,  surgery*
Lumbar Vertebrae / pathology,  radiography*,  surgery*
Spinal Diseases / pathology,  radiography*,  surgery*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Contrast Media

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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