Adjacent Bi-level bilateral pedicle stress fractures after instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion-a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract

Isolated bilateral pedicle stress fractures of the lumbar spine are rare events, and few cases are reported in the literature. Their occurrence is commonly related to post-operative complications of spine instrumentation but can also be associated with stress-related activities, degenerative spine conditions, trauma and other miscellaneous causes. The authors report a case of adjacent bi-level bilateral pedicle fracture that developed 5 years after an instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion. We believe that this has never been described before, and we reviewed the current literature pertaining this subject.