Two cases of surgical complication in patients affected by lumbar disc herniation and psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent papulosquamous dermatosis that involves the skin and sometimes the joints. Fow orthopedic surgical complications have been reported in psoriatic patients. We report two cases of surgery failure for lumbar disc herniation in patients affected by psoriasis. Both cases underwent surgical treatment because neurological deficits appeared after a period of conservative treatment. The symptoms were completely resolved after surgery. Both patients complained of recurrent pain (no neurological impairment) a few (15 and 20) days after surgery. The imaging evaluation pointed out an over-production of fibrous tissue compressing the nerve root. In our opinion, this condition may be related to the dermatosis. Four hypotheses are proposed to explain the exuberant spinal fibrosis, developed a few days after surgery. This report may represent the starting point for a deeper study of spinal surgery in psoriatic patients.