脊椎および脳神経外科ジャーナル

Radiculopathy Due to Fracture of an Inferior Articular Process Anomaly at the 5th Lumbar Vertebra: A Case Report

Ryoji Yamasaki, Shinya Okuda, Tomoya Yamashita, Tomiya Matsumoto, Takafumi Maeno, Motoki Iwasaki and Takenori Oda

Radiculopathy Due to Fracture of an Inferior Articular Process Anomaly at the 5th Lumbar Vertebra: A Case Report

This case report details lumbar radiculopathy due to fracture of an inferior articular process anomaly. The inferior articular process at the 5th lumbar vertebra bifurcated to both ventral and dorsal sides of the superior articular process at the sacrum. The ventral spur was fractured and lay just dorsal to the L5 nerve root. Although this anomaly could not be classified as congenital or acquired, this ventral spur was speculated to be fractured by high-energy trauma, resulting in compression of the nerve root.