Ankle and toe weakness caused by calcified ligamentum flavum cyst: A case report
Ligamentum flavum cysts, which are most common in mobile junctional levels of the spine, can be a rare cause of spinal stenosis. There have been several case reports of ligamentum flavum cysts. However, there is yet to be a documented case report of a calcified ligamentum flavum cyst. Herein, we rep...
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Published in | World journal of clinical cases Vol. 11; no. 35; pp. 8392 - 8398 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc
16.12.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Ligamentum flavum cysts, which are most common in mobile junctional levels of the spine, can be a rare cause of spinal stenosis. There have been several case reports of ligamentum flavum cysts. However, there is yet to be a documented case report of a calcified ligamentum flavum cyst. Herein, we report the first case of a calcified ligamentum flavum cyst causing ankle and toe weakness.
A 66-year-old male visited our hospital complaining of claudication as well as thigh and calf pain in his left leg, all beginning two weeks prior. Physical examination revealed motor weakness of the left ankle dorsiflexion and great toe dorsiflexion. Lumbar spinal computed tomography scans showed spinal stenosis combined with a calcified mass at the left side of the L4-5 level. Magnetic resonance imaging showed dural sac compression caused by the calcified mass at the left ligamentum flavum of the L4-5 level. We performed decompressive laminectomy and excision of the calcified mass combined with posterior lumbar interbody fusion at the L4-5 level. Intra-operatively, we found a firm and nodule like mass originating from the ventral surface of ligamentum flavum. Pathological examination suggested a calcified pseudocyst without a capsular lining. After the operation, the patient's motor weakness in the ankle and great toe improved gradually.
The patient's ankle and great toe weakness were improved successfully after surgical removal of the calcified cyst. |
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Bibliography: | Corresponding author: Jun-Seok Lee, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 1021 Tongil-Ro, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul 03312, South Korea. junband@naver.com Author contributions: Lee JS conceived and designed the study, and performed the surgery; Jung HY, Kim GU, and Joh YW prepared the figures and collected the data; Jung HY and Lee JS wrote the manuscript; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript. |
ISSN: | 2307-8960 2307-8960 |
DOI: | 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i35.8392 |