Treatment of thoracic disc herniation. Case report

Abstract Background Herniated thoracic intervertebral disc is a rare cause of spinal cord compression. Its frequency varies from 0.15% to 1.7% of all disc herniations, and produces symptoms in 0.5–0.8%. Clinical cases Case 1. A 50-year-old woman, with pain and burning sensation in left hemithorax of four months of onset. It was treated as a herpetic syndrome, with no improvement. She was seen after thirteen days of exacerbation of clinical symptoms. The physical examination showed asymmetric paraparesis, lower left pelvic limb 1/5, and right pelvic limb 3/5, sensory level T8, with left Babinski positive. A thoracic disc herniation in space T8–T9 was diagnosed. Case 2. A 55-year-old patient with a history of presenting pain in lumbar area of 5 years onset. She also had radicular pain that radiated to the right pelvic limb, with intensity 10/10 on a Visual Analogue Scale. Her physical examination showed muscle strength 5/5, with normal sensitivity in all dermatomes and tendon reflexes, and a positive right Babinski. Thoracic disc herniation T7–T8 level was diagnosed. Discussion Due to anatomical conditions that define this type of hernia, the extracavitary posterolateral approach should be the recommended surgical procedure when the simultaneously performed anterior decompression and fixation with posterior instrumentation are the treatments proposed. Conclusion Despite the different anatomical structures of this special area, it was possible to obtain satisfactory results for both clinical cases.