Some features of the diagnosis and clinical manifestations of pathological fractures of the spine in Bekhterev's disease (а clinical case)

Abstract

Background: A prolonged course of the autoimmune inflammatory process in Bekhterev's disease is accompanied by calcification of the vertebral column’s ligaments, damage to the costovertebral and true joints of the spine, and their ankylosis, that ultimately leads to a decrease in the support capacity of the spine, so that even a minor injury can lead to a fracture. Spinal fractures in ankylosing spondylitis often have an unstable character and a high risk of the spinal cord injury. The main methods for diagnosing the spinal instability in Bekhterev's disease are multispiral computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, since the informative significance of survey radiography is not high. An early surgical treatment is the method of choice for unstable fractures in ankylosing spondylitis, despite the comorbid pathology and age, which significantly burden the prognosis. Сlinical case description: Patient K., born in 1969, injured on October 07, 2021 as a result of falling on his back from a height of 2 meters. An MSCT study of the thoracolumbar spine revealed a fracture of the ThXII–LI vertebrae, rupture of the anterior longitudinal ligament, and instability of the ThXII–LI vertebral-motor segment. The following diagnosis was established: closed uncomplicated injury of the thoracolumbar spine; grade I unstable compression fracture of the ThXII, LI vertebrae with a damage to the posterior support complex against the background of ankylosing spondylitis; grade I kyphotic deformity of the thoracolumbar spine; bilateral vertebrogenic lumboishialgia syndrome; pronounced persistent pain and muscle-tonic syndromes. A surgical treatment was applied which included correction of the spinal deformity and stabilization of the thoracolumbar spine using a transpedicular fixation system. The pain vertebrogenic syndrome and clinical neurological disorders regressed. The MSCT control was carried out in 6 months with the detected completed fusion at the ThXII–LI level. Conclusion: A timely diagnosis using multispiral computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging data allows us to assess the full picture of traumatic changes in the spinal column and choose the most effective type of surgical intervention, using, if necessary, stabilizing systems.

Keywords

• ankylosing spondylitis
• diagnosis
• clinical manifestations
• vertebral fracture