Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Pediatric case of a penetrating lumbar spinal injury

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Child's Nervous System Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Penetrating spinal injuries are generally extremely rare and are seldom encountered in pediatric patients. The non-compliance of pediatric patients with physical examination can sometimes delay diagnosis and treatment. Here, we present a case of a child who had a fall and suffered penetrating spinal trauma due to a small glass fragment.

Case report

A penetrating foreign body was detected in the lumbar spinal region of a 2-year-old patient with complaints of increased restlessness on physical activity followed by difficulty in walking. The patient was operated on and followed up without any complications in the perioperative and late postoperative periods.

Conclusion

A detailed physical examination is necessitated in the pediatric age group because of insufficient anamnesis. The high number of patients per physician, especially in societies having a low socioeconomic standard, prevents detailed examinations, and unnecessary examinations may cause delays in diagnosis. However, one must note that the skin findings of pediatric patients can be very helpful, especially in pediatric neurosurgery, and examination should not be neglected.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fung CF, Ng TH (1992) Delayed myelopathy after a stab wound with a retained intraspinal foreign body: case report. J Trauma 32(4):539–41. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005373-199204000-00020

  2. Splavski B, Vranković D, Sarić G, Blagus G, Mursić B, Rukovanjski M (1996) Early management of war missile spine and spinal cord injuries: experience with 21 cases. Injury 27(10):699–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0020-1383(96)00130-1

  3. Shahlaie K, Chang DJ, Anderson JT (2006) Nonmissile penetrating spinal injury. Case report and review of the literature J Neurosurg Spine 4(5):400–8. https://doi.org/10.3171/spi.2006.4.5.400

  4. Kazan MS (2014) Pediatric physical and neurological examination. Publications of the Turkish neurosurgery association. Pediatr Neurosurg pp 21–33

  5. Karacan İ, Koyuncu H, Pekel Ö et al (2000) Traumatic spinal cord injuries in Turkey: a nation-wide epidemiological study. Spinal Cord 38(11):697–701. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3101064

  6. İsmailoğlu Ö, Yaka U, Sencer A (2010) Surgical approach in cutting tool injuries of the spine. Türk Nöroşirurji Dergisi (Turkish) 20(3):122–126

    Google Scholar 

  7. Ökten Aİ, Bilal S, Ergün R, Bostancı U (1998) Penetrating injury due to stabbing of the spine: case report. National Trauma J 4(4):296–299

    Google Scholar 

  8. Karavelioğlu E (2012) Penetrating spinal cord injury caused by rebar: case report and review of the literature. Turk J Spine Surg 23(1):45–50

    Google Scholar 

  9. Moyed S, Shanmuganathan K, Mirvis SE, Bethel A, Rothman M (1999) MR imaging of penetrating spinal trauma. AJR Am J Roentgenol 173(5):1387–91. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.173.5.10541126

  10. Jallo GI (1997) Neurosurgical management of penetrating spinal injury: Surg Neurol 47(4):328–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0090-3019(96)00458-2

  11. Kulkarni AV, Bhandari M, Stiver S, Reddy K (2000) Delayed presentation of spinal stab wound: Case report and review of the literature. J Emerg Med 18(2):209–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0736-4679(99)00196-1

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Abdurrahman Arpa & Pinar Aydın Ozturk

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Şırnak Public Hospital, Sirnak, Turkey

    Omer Sanrı

  3. Department of Neurology, Private Batı Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Adil Yilmaz

Authors
  1. Abdurrahman Arpa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pinar Aydın Ozturk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Omer Sanrı
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Adil Yilmaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

A.A. and P.A. wrote the main manuscript text O.S prepared all figures All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pinar Aydın Ozturk.

Ethics declarations

Statement of ethics

Ethical approval was not required for this study in accordance with national guidelines. Patient and his parents have given their written informed consent to publish this case (including publication of images).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Arpa, A., Ozturk, P.A., Sanrı, O. et al. Pediatric case of a penetrating lumbar spinal injury. Childs Nerv Syst 40, 593–596 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-023-06180-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-023-06180-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation