- Thoracic disc herniation accounts for between 0.2-5% of all disc herniations, and herniation in this part of the spine is caused by trauma in 14-63% of cases
- Causes pain radiating around the chest and can also cause abdominal pain
- 75% of all thoracic herniations occur between Th8-12, most frequently in the Th11-12 disc
- In centrally located herniations, myelopathy can develop
- Herniation at the Th11-12 level can affect the conus medullaris or cauda equina and affect nerve fibers to the bladder and bowel, causing neurological deficits in the extremities
- Randomly detected prolapse on MRI must always be correlated with clinical findings
Vanichkachorn, Jed S. MD; Vaccaro, Alexander R. MD Thoracic Disk Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment
Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:May 2000 – Volume 8 – Issue 3 – p 159-169
Carlos A. Arce, George J. Dohrmann Thoracic Disk Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment
Surgical Neurology Volume 23, Issue 4,April 1985, Pages 356-361
Back pain, red flags
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pneumothorax
- Heart attack
- Aortic dissection
- Compression fracture
- Metastasis