Bertolotti’s syndrome refers to the presence of pain associated to the anatomical variant of sacralization of the last lumbar vertebra. It is often a factor that is not addressed in the evaluation and treatment of lower back pain. The presence of a lumbosacral transitional vertebra is a common finding among general population with a prevalence that ranges between 4 and 30%, however, this finding is rarely associated to the cause of lower back pain and thus, the prevalence of Bertolotti’s syndrome in general population is unknown doe to underdiagnosis. The sacralization of the fifth lumbar vertebra has been related to changes in the anatomy and biomechanics of the spine with no general agreement to its clinical significance, however Bertolotti’s syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnosis for lower back pain, therefore, its pathophysiology, epidemiology and treatment must be a topic of general knowledge to physicians that often treat this condition.

The association between elbow dislocation, medial epicondyle fracture with intra-articular fragment entrapment and ulnar neuropraxia is very unfrequent with only a few cases reported in the literature, the mechanism of injury of the ulnar nerve is still unknown. This injury requires surgical management with stable fixation of the medial epicondyle fragment to allow early range of motion, the choice whether or not to perform an ulnar decompression and nerve transposition remains a controversy between orthopedic surgeons. We present the case of a 14-year-old patient that suffered an elbow dislocation with intra-articular entrapment of the medial epicondyle and ulnar neuropraxia that was managed with open reduction and fixation of the medial epicondyle with good functional outcomes.

The annual incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury worldwide is 35 patients per million; this incidence is likely to be much higher in Latin America, where stab injuries are a common incidence. Stab injuries to the spine represent a small percentage of these cases; these are rare injuries; its management may differ compared with other penetrating injuries; these injuries are frequently complicated with neurological damage; the most common clinical manifestation is Brown–Sequard syndrome, and the most common segment involved is the thoracic region; stab injuries to the lumbar spine are rarely found in the literature. The management of patients without neurological involvement is controversial due to the risk of neurologic deterioration intraoperatively. However, failure to adequately intervene increases the risk of permanent neurological deficit, worsening functional outcomes, cerebral fluid leakage and infections. A short review of the literature and a case report are presented.

No abstract