An unusual cause of lumbar discitis.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case report.

OBJECTIVE

To identify an unusual cause of lumbar discitis.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Discitis resulting from a foreign body has not been reported in the English-language literature.

METHOD: A case report is reviewed identifying the presence of this foreign object (titanium), erroneously implanted into the disc space at L5-S1. Imaging studies identify the location and surrounding reaction.

RESULTS

The surgical exploration of this disc revealed an inflammatory response surrounding the disc with degeneration within the disc space.

CONCLUSION

If this gynecologic procedure is performed using bone anchors, care must be take to ensure that the sacrum is identified before insertion.