A case report of ligamentum flavum cyst in the lumbar vertebral canal and literature review / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Ligamentum flavum cysts in the spinal canal are rare space-occupying lesions.They usually occur in the middle-aged and people over 50 years old, without obvious sex or regional differences, and mostly involve the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, especially the lumbar vertebrae(L4/5 and L5/S1). There are no characteristic manifestations for ligamentum flavum cysts.They can cause neurological symptoms due to compression of nerve roots or the dural sac.For example, patients with lumbar ligamentum flavum cysts may complain of symptoms of lumbar disc herniation-related sciatica, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis.Surgical excision of the cyst is the most effective method.Recently, one patient with this disease was admitted to our department.After surgical fenestration, the ligamentum flavum cyst in the lumbar canal was resected and its diagnosis was eventually confirmed histologically.After 17 months of follow-up, the patient recovered well.