Some of the most perplexing clinical syndromes are manifest by prolapse of a thoracic intervertebral disc. Because of its rarity and because of the protean nature of presentation the condition is often overlooked. It has been estimated that the incidence may be as high as one patient per million population per annum. Degenerative change in the intervertebral disc may allow narrowing of the disc...

Using a simple and generic molecular dynamics model, we study the damage in a disc of interacting particles as the disc fragments upon impact with a wall. The damage, defined as the ratio of the number of bonds broken by the impact to the initial number of bonds, is found to increase logarithmically with the energy deposited in the system. This result implies a linear growth with damage for the...

Cervical anterior foraminotomy (AF) is an anterior surgical technique for the cervical spine aimed to decompress intervertebral foramen and lateral side of the spinal canal. This technique aims to remove the offending lesion, either a disc fragment or osteophyte compressing the neural structures, via a bony window at the uncovertebral area; while preserving the structure and functions of the in...

A 44-year-old male presented with acute onset retention of urine and low back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine demonstrated an extradural mass extending from the lower border of the L3 vertebra to upper border of L5 vertebra. Axial imaging showed the posterolaterally located mass lesion on left side, producing significant compression and displacement of thecal sac and ...

Intradural herniation of a cervical disc is rare; less than 35 cases have been reported to date. A 52-year-old man with preexisting ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament developed severe neck pain with Lt hemiparesis while asleep. Neurological exam was consistent with Brown-Séquard syndrome. Magnetic resonance images showed a C5-6 herniated disc that was adjacent to the ossified ligam...