Cervical radiculopathy caused by neural foraminal migration of a herniated calcified intervertebral disk in childhood: a case report.

Abstract

Childhood intervertebral disk calcification is a rare clinical entity. Although its clinical course is usually benign, nerve root irritation or spinal cord compression can occasionally occur. We present the clinical and radiologic findings of a 9-year-old boy with cervical radiculopathy due to a herniated calcified intervertebral disk, which developed suddenly after swimming for 1 hour. Radiologic findings indicated that a calcified nucleus pulposus at the C6-7 level herniated into the spinal canal and migrated far into the right C6-7 neural foramen. Surgical management was performed 8 weeks after the onset of symptoms, because the initial presenting symptoms persisted despite conservative treatment. In children, calcified intervertebral disks can cause cervical radiculopathy that requires surgical management when they herniate and migrate far into the neural foramen.