A duplicate anastomosing L5 nerve root discovered during microsurgically treated lumbar disk herniation: A case report

Abstract

Congenital anomalies of lumbosacral nerve roots are rare. These anomalies had been infrequently described in literatures with different classification systems. However, it is very rare to find a combination of more than one kind of anomalies in a single person. In this article, we report a duplicate L5 nerve root anomaly with anastomosis in between, which is considered rare among the other nerve root anomalies. It was discovered during microsurgically treated L5-S1 disc herniation. All spine surgeons should keep in mind that, although nerve root congenital anomalies are rare, they do exist. Care must be taken when a nerve root anomaly is discovered during surgical procedures in order not to cause iatrogenic nerve element injury.

Keywords

• Lumbar disk herniation
• Microdiscectomy
• Nerve root anomaly
• Duplicate nerve roots