Abstract
Intradural disc herniation is a rare entity that occurs most frequently in the lumbar spine. Most often it is diagnosed intraoperatively. Acute onset of bilateral foot drop due to intradural disc herniation without any sign of the cauda equina syndrome is also extremely rare. We described a case of a 41-year-old male who presented to us with acute onset bilateral foot drop without any sign of the cauda equina syndrome. He had previously been diagnosed as having multiple- level intervertebral herniations and managed conservatively. He was admitted to the emergency room with acute onset bilateral foot drop. Lumbar MRI revealed multiple-level disc herniations and extruded disc fragment at L2-L3 level. L2 and L3 laminectomies were performed and a hard intradural mass was palpable. On opening the dura a fragment of intervertebral disc was found with a small defect in the anterior dura. The fragment was removed and the dura was sutured. The patient recovered well from the surgery. Intradural disc herniation must be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute onset bilateral foot drop without any sign of the cauda equina syndrome.
Keywords: Bilateral foot drop, intradural disc herniation, lumbar disc, surgery
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2015 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.