Spinal gout with lumbar spondylolisthesis: case report and review of the literature

Gout, a metabolic disorder, is commonly accepted as a peripheral joint disease of the appendicular skeleton by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals. Gouty involvement of the spinal column is rare. In this paper, we report a case of spinal gout with spondylolisthesis, meanwhile, we review the clinical, radiological features, diagnosis and treatment of spinal gout in literature. The patient was 60-year-old with low back pain. Radiological examinations of the lumbar spine showed L4 spondylolisthesis with bone erosion in facet joints and lamina. The patient was treated by L4/5 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The postoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of spinal gout. Spinal gout is rare and can easily be underestimated. Clinician should keep in mind spinal gout as a differential diagnosis especially in patients with long history of gout and axial symptoms.