A case of mid-thoracic osteoporotic vertebral fracture with the inability to belch syndrome

Takehiro Makizono; Hisaaki Uchikado; Takayasu Ando; Jin Kikuchi; Gohsuke Hattori; Motohiro Morioka

doi:10.25259/SNI_839_2022

A case of mid-thoracic osteoporotic vertebral fracture with the inability to belch syndrome

Surg Neurol Int. 2022 Oct 7:13:458. doi: 10.25259/SNI_839_2022. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Takehiro Makizono¹, Hisaaki Uchikado², Takayasu Ando³, Jin Kikuchi³, Gohsuke Hattori³, Motohiro Morioka³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Social Insurance Tagawa Hospital, Kamihonmachi, Tagawa.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Uchikado Neuro-Spine Clinic, Hakata-Ku Naka, Fukuoka.
³ Department of Neurosurgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Asahi-Machi, Kurume, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF) commonly occur at the thoracolumbar junction, but are less frequently encountered in the mid-thoracic region. Here, a 69-year-old female presented with back pain and the new onset of symptoms characterized by the inability to belch.

Case description: A 69-year-old female presented with back pain. 2 months later, she developed anorexia and difficulty belching. The thoracic magnetic resonance (MR) demonstrated a T7 OVF. As she ultimately underwent a balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), as conservative treatment was unsuccessful.

Conclusion: OVF should be suspected in elderly females with the inability to belch accompanied by chest and back pain. The diagnosis is best established with a spinal MR imaging and should be followed by BKP.

Keywords: Balloon kyphoplasty; Gastroesophageal reflux disease; Inability to belch; Mediastinal triangle; Osteoporotic vertebral fracture; Spinal deformity.

Publication types

Case Reports