Posterior Epidural Migration of Extruded Lumbar Disc Mimicking Epidural Mass: Case Report

Abstract

A 44-yr-old male patient was admitted with persistent low back pain of five days duration. Neurological examination and direct x-rays were normal but lumbar spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging showed posterior epidural mass at the level of L<inf>3</inf> vertebral corpus with peripheral contrast enhancement. Initial diagnosis was epidural mass (tumor or abscess). Surgical and pathological evaluations showed extruded disc fragment. As a result we proposed that in the presence of acute or persistent low back pain as a noninvasive radiological investigation Magnetic Resonance Imaging should be performed even in the absence of neurological deficit and if necessary appropriate surgery should be performed.