Impending Discectomy in a Patient with Zoster Induced Sciatica An Instructive Case Report

Abstract

Herpes zoster is a rare cause of non-discogenic sciatica. A combination of case rarity and name similarity was nearly leading to an inopportune surgery in a 21 years old woman. The clinical presentation was completely similar to a cauda equina syndrome associated with urinary incontinence and bilateral leg involvement. Concurrently, lumbosacral imaging of another patient with exactly similar name in the picture archiving communications system (PACS) has shown a huge L5-1 disc herniation. Careful attention to all diverse causes of sciatica and identifying details of the images could prevent improper discectomy in our patient.

Keywords

• Herpes zoster
• Sciatica
• Discectomy