BACKGROUND Spinal subdural abscesses, also known as empyemas, are rare infectious lesions, the exact incidence of which is unknown. Presentation is typically dramatic, with back pain, fever, motor, and sensory deficits. Rapid identification and surgical intervention with laminectomy, durotomy, and washout provides the best outcomes. While hematogenous spread of an extra-spinal infection is the ...

In 1934 Mixter and Barr described the syndrome of the ruptured intervertebral disc in the lumbar region. Since then the herniated intervertebral disc has been considered to be the dominant cause of low back pain and sciatica. In 1953 Schlesinger and Taveras pointed out that in the presence of a narrow spinal canal patients with herniated intervertebral discs may present an atypical picture of m...

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis causing neurogenic claudicaton is a common condition impacting walking ability in older adults. There are other highly prevalent conditions in this patient population that have similar signs and symptoms and cause limited walking ability. The purpose of this study is to highlight the diagnostic challenges using three case studies of older adults who present w...

A 43 year old woman presented with a history of a hyperextension cervical injury resulting in transient quadriplegia. Cervical spine radiography revealed developmental spinal stenosis and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated underlying spinal cord oedema secondary to contusion, with a herniated disc at C3-C4. The Torg ratio may be used to aid the initial diagnosis of cervical spine stenosis....

Two cases of dynamic lumbar spinal stenosis were identified by the authors using axial loaded magnetic resonance image (MRI). In both cases, the patients presented with neurogenic claudication but MRI in decumbency showed no definite pathologic condition associated with their symptoms. In contrast, axial loaded MRI demonstrated constrictive spinal stenosis and a significantly decreased dural sa...