SPONDYLOLISTHESIS AFTER POSTEROLATERAL THORACIC DISCECTOMY - CASE-REPORT AND LITERATURE-REVIEW

Herniation of a thoracic intervertebral disc is relatively rare, the first description of this phenomenon being attributed to Key.6 Previously published reports have estimated the incidence of symptomatic thoracic disc herniation (TDH) at 0.5% or less and thoracic discectomies to account for 0.15-4% of all disc excisions.8-11 Equally rare are reports of spondylolisthesis after thoracic laminectomy. Most series focus on this deformity occurring in the pediatric population.3, 16, 17 After extensive literature review, only one reported case of spondylolisthesis after single-level thoracic laminectomy was identified.14 We report the case of a patient treated for symptomatic thoracic spondylolisthesis after posterolateral discectomy and laminectomy. The patient’s course was complicated by TDH after posterior Harrington instrumentation. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.