Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 16, 2022; 10(11): 3533-3540
Published online Apr 16, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i11.3533
Ankylosing spondylitis complicated with andersson lesion in the lower cervical spine: A case report
Yu-Jian Peng, Zhuang Zhou, Qian-Liang Wang, Xiao-Feng Liu, Jun Yan
Yu-Jian Peng, Qian-Liang Wang, Xiao-Feng Liu, Jun Yan, Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
Zhuang Zhou, Department of Pain, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Peng YJ performed the study, collected data, and drafted the manuscript; Zhou Z and Wang QL collected data, performed literature searches and interpreted the data; Liu XF and Yan J made critical revisions to the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the version of the article presented for publication
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81902239 and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, No. BK20191169.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this case report and the accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jun Yan, MD, Chief Physician, Director, Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 San-Xiang Road, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, China. cxyanjun@hotmail.com
Received: September 18, 2021
Peer-review started: September 18, 2021
First decision: December 10, 2021
Revised: December 18, 2021
Accepted: February 27, 2022
Article in press: February 27, 2022
Published online: April 16, 2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Andersson lesion (AL) is an uncommon complication in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which is characterized by nonneoplastic bone destruction and often appears as bone destruction and sclerosis in the vertebral body and/or the area involving the intervertebral disc. According to the literature, Andersson lesion commonly occur in the thoracic and lumbar spine and rarely in the cervical spine.

CASE SUMMARY

This case involved a 78-year-old man with a long history of AS who developed AL in the cervical spine (C5/6 and C6/7). One-stage anterior-posterior approach surgery was successfully performed. At the 6-month follow-up, the pain was significantly reduced, and the limb function was gradually improved.

CONCLUSION

AL uncharacteristically appears in the cervical spine and tends to be misdiagnosed as vertebral metastases or spinal tuberculosis. Posterior combined with anterior surgery achieves solid biological stabilization in the treatment of AL bone destruction.

Keywords: Andersson lesion, Ankylosing spondylitis, Cervical fracture, Case report

Core Tip: This case involved an Andersson lesion in the cervical spine that occurred in an ankylosing spondylitis patient and was very rare. The Andersson lesion was diagnosed based on orthopaedist clinical experience, imaging examinations and final pathology results. This case report provides a reference for the clinical diagnosis of such cases.