Spinal cord infarction following therapeutic computed tomography-guided left L2 nerve root injection.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case report.

OBJECTIVES

To report a rare case of spinal cord infarction following therapeutic computed tomography-guided nerve root injection.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Diagnostic and therapeutic image-guided nerve root injection is commonly performed in the management of low back pain and sciatica. The severe complication of spinal cord infarction has been reported in only 3 cases previously.

METHODS

Retrospective review of case records and imaging.

RESULTS

A 71-year-old woman presented with symptoms and signs of left L2 nerve root compression. She was managed with computed tomography-guided left L2 nerve root injection using bupivacaine and triamcinolone and developed immediate bilateral sensory loss and paraplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffuse hyperintensity within the distal thoracic cord and conus on T2-weighted images, consistent with spinal cord infarction.

CONCLUSIONS

We report the fourth case of spinal cord infarction following nerve root injection. The severity of this complication warrants that it should be considered during patient consent for this procedure.