Spontaneously disappearing large herniated lumbar disc fragment

• Main Authors: Umamaheswara V. Reddy, Amit Agrawal, Kishor V. Hegde, P. Suneetha, Malleswara G. Rao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: Journal of Orthopaedics and Allied Sciences
• Subjects: Disappearing disc; herniation; lumbar disc; regression disc; spontaneous regression
• Online Access: http://www.joas.in/article.asp?issn=2319-2585;year=2014;volume=2;issue=1;spage=26;epage=28;aulast=Reddy
• ISSN: 2319-2585

There are reports of spontaneous regression of large extruded disc; however, the exact underlying mechanism and management of such cases remains controversial. We report a 40-year-old female who opted for conservative management for a large extruded lumbar disc. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed complete disappearance of the disc fragment; however, there were degenerative changes in the upper and lower adjacent margins of the vertebral body. Spine surgeons should be aware of spontaneous regression of the disc phenomenon as a patient with a large extruded disc who opted for the conservative management initially can have persistence pain, but there may not be an underlying protruded disc.