Uterine fibroid mimicking lumbar radiculopathy: a case report. 2010

Donald R Murphy, and Mark I Bender, and Greg Green
RI Spine Center, Providence, RI 02860, USA. rispine@aol.com

METHODS Case report. OBJECTIVE To present the case of a patient with low back and lower extremity pain suspected to result from lumbar radiculopathy but who was discovered to have symptomatic uterine fibroid (UF). BACKGROUND UFs are usually asymptomatic but at times can produce symptoms such as excessive menstrual bleeding, intermenstrual bleeding, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, bloating, dyspareunia, urinary and bowel disturbance, subfertility, and pregnancy-related complications. In rare cases, they can cause neural impingement leading to lower extremity pain, which can be mistaken for lumbar radiculopathy. METHODS The patient was a 44-year-old woman who presented with low back pain and left leg pain. Examination suggested lumbar radiculopathy but lumbar magnetic resonance imaging was negative with the exception of a large mass in the pelvis. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging confirmed this to be a large UF. RESULTS The patient's symptoms completely resolved following hysterectomy. CONCLUSIONS In a female patient with suspected radiculopathy, in whom lumbar imaging is negative, or who does not respond as expected to treatment, UF should be considered.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007044 Hysterectomy Excision of the uterus. Hysterectomies
D007889 Leiomyoma A benign tumor derived from smooth muscle tissue, also known as a fibroid tumor. They rarely occur outside of the UTERUS and the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT but can occur in the SKIN and SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE, probably arising from the smooth muscle of small blood vessels in these tissues. Fibroid,Fibroid Tumor,Fibroid Uterus,Fibroids, Uterine,Fibroma, Uterine,Fibromyoma,Leiomyoma, Uterine,Fibroid Tumors,Fibroid, Uterine,Fibroids,Fibromas, Uterine,Fibromyomas,Leiomyomas,Tumor, Fibroid,Tumors, Fibroid,Uterine Fibroid,Uterine Fibroids,Uterine Fibroma,Uterine Fibromas,Uterus, Fibroid
D008159 Lumbar Vertebrae VERTEBRAE in the region of the lower BACK below the THORACIC VERTEBRAE and above the SACRAL VERTEBRAE. Vertebrae, Lumbar
D008279 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Non-invasive method of demonstrating internal anatomy based on the principle that atomic nuclei in a strong magnetic field absorb pulses of radiofrequency energy and emit them as radiowaves which can be reconstructed into computerized images. The concept includes proton spin tomographic techniques. Chemical Shift Imaging,MR Tomography,MRI Scans,MRI, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Image,Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional,Magnetization Transfer Contrast Imaging,NMR Imaging,NMR Tomography,Tomography, NMR,Tomography, Proton Spin,fMRI,Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,Imaging, Chemical Shift,Proton Spin Tomography,Spin Echo Imaging,Steady-State Free Precession MRI,Tomography, MR,Zeugmatography,Chemical Shift Imagings,Echo Imaging, Spin,Echo Imagings, Spin,Functional MRI,Functional MRIs,Image, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, NMR,Imaging, Spin Echo,Imagings, Chemical Shift,Imagings, Spin Echo,MRI Scan,MRIs, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Images,Resonance Image, Magnetic,Scan, MRI,Scans, MRI,Shift Imaging, Chemical,Shift Imagings, Chemical,Spin Echo Imagings,Steady State Free Precession MRI
D010147 Pain Measurement Scales, questionnaires, tests, and other methods used to assess pain severity and duration in patients or experimental animals to aid in diagnosis, therapy, and physiological studies. Analgesia Tests,Analogue Pain Scale,Formalin Test,McGill Pain Questionnaire,Nociception Tests,Pain Assessment,Pain Intensity,Pain Severity,Tourniquet Pain Test,Visual Analogue Pain Scale,Analog Pain Scale,Assessment, Pain,McGill Pain Scale,Visual Analog Pain Scale,Analgesia Test,Analog Pain Scales,Analogue Pain Scales,Formalin Tests,Intensity, Pain,Measurement, Pain,Nociception Test,Pain Assessments,Pain Intensities,Pain Measurements,Pain Questionnaire, McGill,Pain Scale, Analog,Pain Scale, Analogue,Pain Scale, McGill,Pain Severities,Pain Test, Tourniquet,Questionnaire, McGill Pain,Scale, Analog Pain,Scale, Analogue Pain,Scale, McGill Pain,Severity, Pain,Test, Analgesia,Test, Formalin,Test, Nociception,Test, Tourniquet Pain,Tests, Nociception,Tourniquet Pain Tests
D011843 Radiculopathy Disease involving a spinal nerve root (see SPINAL NERVE ROOTS) which may result from compression related to INTERVERTEBRAL DISK DISPLACEMENT; SPINAL CORD INJURIES; SPINAL DISEASES; and other conditions. Clinical manifestations include radicular pain, weakness, and sensory loss referable to structures innervated by the involved nerve root. Nerve Root Avulsion,Nerve Root Compression,Nerve Root Disorder,Radiculitis,Nerve Root Inflammation,Radiculopathy, Cervical,Avulsion, Nerve Root,Avulsions, Nerve Root,Cervical Radiculopathies,Cervical Radiculopathy,Compression, Nerve Root,Compressions, Nerve Root,Inflammation, Nerve Root,Nerve Root Avulsions,Nerve Root Compressions,Nerve Root Disorders,Nerve Root Inflammations,Radiculitides,Radiculopathies,Radiculopathies, Cervical
D003937 Diagnosis, Differential Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures. Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

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