This study assesses the proportion of patients presenting with nonvisceral chronic abdominal pain who have thoracic disk herniation as a possible cause. We designed a descriptive transversal study of patients attending our offices between February 2009 and October 2010, with a complaint of chronic abdominal pain of suspected abdominal wall source (positive Carnett sign). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of the spinal column was performed on all patients. When the NMR showed thoracic disk herniation the patients were treated according to their etiology. We also evaluated the symptoms in patients with thoracic disk herniation and their response to the applied treatment. Twenty-seven patients with chronic abdominal pain were evaluated. The NMR results in 18 of these 27 patients (66.66%) showed evidence of disk herniation. We report on the results of these 18 patients, emphasizing that the symptoms are florid and varied. Many patients had been previously diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. Thoracic disk herniation may account for chronic abdominal pain in many patients who remain undiagnosed or are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. Thus, this possibility needs to be taken into account to achieve a correct diagnosis and a suitable mode of treatment.

ObjectiveIn the medical literature, thoracic disc protrusion has traditionally been considered a rare occurrence. We hypothesise that the incidence of such protrusions and their abdominal symptoms is higher than is generally believed and that their presence may account for a significant proportion of chronic non-visceral abdominal pains. Accordingly, the present study was designed to identify and quantify the symptoms experienced by patients with thoracic disc protrusion and to assess the relative risk of these symptoms being presented, compared to the general population.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional study with a control group. The following comparison groups were analysed: case group, consisting of 100 patients diagnosed with thoracic disc protrusion in our hospital between February 2007 and October 2012, and control group consisting of 100 subjects from the general population, chosen at random. To compare the symptoms observed in each group, the following tests were applied to all study subjects: clinical examination, gastrointestinal-related quality of life (GIQLI) questionnaire and DN4 questionnaire. We also reviewed the subjects’ medical records for the previous 3 years.ResultsThe subjects in the case group had a significantly higher incidence of digestive-urologic symptoms, a poorer gastrointestinal quality of life and greater need of medical care than those in the control group. The differences were statistically significant for all the parameters studied. Almost all the case group subjects suffered chronic abdominal pain and/or digestive-urologic symptoms. We term this group of symptoms “chronic abdominal syndrome due to nervous compression”. Nevertheless, in most cases, no neurologic aetiology was suspected, and therefore the treatment given was ineffective. In view of the results obtained, we propose a diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm for such patients.ConclusionThoracic disc protrusion, as well as having a non-negligible incidence, is often associated with a digestive-urologic clinical syndrome, and this factor should be taken into account in all cases of chronic abdominal pain and other digestive-urologic symptoms when standard tests are negative, so that appropriate treatment may be given.

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