Background:
Spinal cord herniation is an uncommon diagnosis in the field of spine
surgery[1]. The etiology is unknown but few theories are attributed
to spontaneous herniation like congenital defects in the dura, pressure
erosion of the dura, duplication of anterior dura, and traumatic
etiology[1, 2]. The usual presentation of spontaneous spinal cord
herniation is in the form of progressive Brown-Sequard syndrome[3].
Neurological deficits are thought to occur as a result of tethering of
herniated cord to the surrounding structures[4]. The tethering
causes a longitudinal stretch and impairs the neuronal oxidative
metabolism resulting in a wide spectrum of neurological deficits[4].
The neurological deficits stabilise or recover when the herniation is
reduced surgically and the dural defect is closed[5]. We describe a
case of a 37-year-old male with progressive back pain and sensory
deficits due to spinal cord herniation and a post-operative complication
associated with reduction of the hernia.