Congenital Scoliosis with Bilateral Foramen Transversarium in the Fifth Lumbar Vertebra

Abstract

The foramen transversarium (FT) is frequently mentioned in the cervical spine, and the possibility of injury to the vertebral artery and vein passing through this structure is noted, particularly during surgical procedures. In this report, we present an atypically located FT at the level of the L5 vertebra, which was identified during the pre-operative three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) evaluation of a patient with congenital scoliosis in our clinic. A 33-year-old female patient with congenital scoliosis was admitted to our clinic because of cosmetic deformities and spinal pain. CT showed multiple bone formation abnormalities in the thoracic region and surprisingly, bilateral FT at the level of the L5 vertebra in the lumbar region of the spine with no accompanying vascular structures on digital CT angiography. The literature defining lumbar FT is sparse. We believe that knowledge of this rare variant can add to the relevant literature and that it is important to consider this variant in radiological imaging and surgical procedures in this region.

Keywords

• anatomical variation
• congenital scoliosis
• lumbar foramen transversarium
• neurosurgery