Cystic Schmorl’s Node: An Unusual Cause of Lower Back Pain

Excerpt

A 40-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of acute back pain without sciatica. He had a 1-month history of progressive lower back pain and the painful sensation was persistent. He reported no history of trauma or spinal injuries. The neurologic examination and laboratory results were normal. Plain radiographs of the lumbar spine showed a faint osteolytic lesion of the L5 vertebral body, suggesting an inflammatory reaction or benign spinal tumor. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an area of low signal intensity in the L5 vertebral body with a small cleft at the superior endplate on the…