Perineural hematoma following lumbar transforaminal steroid injection causing acute-on-chronic lumbar radiculopathy: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI) are commonly performed for the treatment of lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus and lumbosacral radiculopathy. Although rare, documented complications including spinal cord infarction, paraparesis, epidural abscess, paraplegia, and epidural hematoma have been reported. Here, we present a case of perineural hematoma affecting the L4 nerve root resulting in progressive acute-on-chronic lumbar radiculopathy following TFESI. CASE REPORT: A 72-year-old female presented with 3 months of low back and right anterior thigh pain. She subsequently underwent right L3 and L4 TFESI for physical examination findings concordant with radiographic right foraminal stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5 with L3-4 spondylolisthesis. Over the following week, the patient reported progressive right lower extremity weakness, worsening sensory loss, and ambulatory dysfunction. Examination revealed mild L3/4 myotomal weakness, sensory changes, and areflexia at the right patella. A gadolinium-enhanced MRI was ordered, which showed focal abnormal signal with involvement of the right L4-L5 neuroforamina and extending slightly far laterally, consistent with a small hematoma, affecting the L4 nerve root. Within 2 months, her strength and reflexes normalized and sensory loss diminished following medical management. DISCUSSION: Although extremely rare, perineural or foraminal hematomas may occur as a serious complication of TFESI, even in the setting of a standardized procedure. Hematoma may cause worsening of symptoms in the acute and subacute phase following TFESI. Further investigation into the etiologies of such injuries is warranted and must be added to the considerations of pain physicians performing these procedures.

Cytomorphological spectrum of subcutaneous and intramuscular cysticercosis: A study of 22 cases.

BACKGROUND: Cysticercosis is more common than usually thought. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) plays an important role in prompt recognition of this disease. AIMS: To study the role of FNAC in the diagnosis of cysticercosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with subcutaneous and intramuscular nodules, who were clinically diagnosed as tuberculous lymphadenitis, reactive lymphadenitis, lipoma, neurofibroma and cysticercosis were included in the present study. RESULTS: In nine cases, a definitive diagnosis of cysticercosis was obtained in the form of fragments of parasite bladder wall and, biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. In the rest 13 cases, larval fragments could not be identified on the aspirates and the diagnosis of parasitic inflammation was suggested on the basis of other cytomorphological findings. Follow-up biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of cysticercosis. CONCLUSIONS: FNAC in cysticercosis is a low-cost outpatient procedure. The cytological diagnosis is quite straightforward in cases where the actual parasite structure is identified in the smears. However, in other cases, presence of eosinophils, histiocytes which may be in palisaded clusters or not, a typical granular dirty background, etc., are the features which should always alert the pathologist to this possibility.