Lumbar hemivertebra in an adult treated by transpedicular osteotomy.

BACKGROUND

Hemivertebra frequently occurs in pediatric patients and is treated with vertebral excision to stop the progression of the deformity. A case of L3 hemivertebra associated with lumbar kyphoscoliosis in an adult is reported.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 46-year-old woman presented with severe chronic back pain of 6 years' duration. Radiologic examinations showed that the L3 vertebra had a trapezoidal shape revealing a partially segmented hemivertebra.

RESULTS

The patient underwent a two-stage corrective surgery. The first stage consisted of a transpedicular osteotomy (TPO) with posterior instrumentation from L1 to L5 and a bone graft; 1 month later, anterior interbody fusions were performed at L2-3 and L3-4 using interbody cages and bone morphogenetic protein. No postoperative complication was reported after 2 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

TPO improved clinical symptoms, corrected the spinal deformity, and reduced the lumbar kyphosis.