Gruber HE, Hanley EN. Alkaptonuria-Associated Changes in Disc Degeneration: A Case Report.
JBJS Case Connect 2015;
5:e96. [PMID:
29252802 DOI:
10.2106/jbjs.cc.o.00080]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
CASE
A thirty-nine-year-old man with alkaptonuria presented with low back pain. Imaging demonstrated lumbar scoliosis, extensive irregularities of end-plate vertebral margins, and Thompson Grade-V disc degeneration. Six months later, the patient returned with a herniated L2-L3 disc. Minimally invasive disc surgery was performed, and harvested disc tissue showed marked extracellular matrix changes and ochronotic pigment deposits.
CONCLUSION
Scattered previous literature is available regarding disc changes in alkaptonuria. Although rare, alkaptonuria appears to severely impact the disc as reflected by cellular and matrix inclusions that contribute to disc-cell pathology.
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