Background context: Erosion of vertebral bodies because of abdominal aortic aneurysm is an extremely rare condition. This vertebral destruction is usually seen after aortic graft surgery; nevertheless, it is not expected in primary aortic aneurysms.
Purpose: The purpose of this article was to present a patient who suffers from back and hip pain because of a chronic ruptured primary aortic aneurysm.
Study design: Case report.
Method: A 51-year-old patient had complaints of back pain. Physical examination revealed a pulsatile mass in the periumblical region. By using conventional radiographies, vertebral erosion was detected at the anterior part of L3-L4-L5 vertebrae. A chronic ruptured thrombosed aortic aneurysm was identified by magnetic resonance imaging.
Results: After resection of the aneurysm, it was possible that the lack of anterior column support could result in future instability. Therefore, an L4-L5 anterior partial corpectomy and reconstruction of the anterior defect with titanium mesh cage with posterior instrumentation and fusion were performed.
Conclusion: It was concluded that back pain caused by chronic aortic aneurysms is a rare condition and may be one of the possible etiologies in differential diagnosis of low back pain and/or sciatica in some patients.