A Case of Congestive Radiculopathy Caused by Strangulated Small Intestinal Obstruction

Abstract

An 89-year-old male patient with a history of prior gastric surgery presented to our emergency department with the complaints of abdominal pain and severe back pain. A contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) showed strangulated small intestinal obstruction. In addition, the inferior vena cava (IVC) was obstructed because of extramural compression by the dilated small bowel, and the anterior internal vertebral venous plexus was dilated. Emergency surgery was performed, with subsequent improvement of the abdominal pain and back pain. On the 9th day after surgery, a repeat CECT revealed that the compression of the IVC and dilated anterior internal vertebral venous plexus were no longer evident. In this case, the dilated anterior internal vertebral venous plexus secondary to the IVC obstruction caused the compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots, and consequently the severe back pain.