Nontraumatic Cervical Disc Herniation in a 21-Year-Old Patient With No Other Underlying Disease

Abstract

A 21-year-old woman presented with cervical myelopathy due to nontraumatic cervical disc herniation associated with cervical canal stenosis. The patient underwent removal of the herniated disc and anterior fusion with an autogenous iliac crest bone graft. After surgery, the patient showed satisfactory improvement. Cases of cervical disc herniation in our center and reported cases without cervical trauma in either young adults or in childhood were reviewed retrospectively. We discuss the pathogenesis of cervical disc herniation in our young patient in the context of these other cases. Cervical disc herniation rarely occurs before the age of 30 years. A history of cervical trauma and preexisting fusion of the cervical spine are risk factors for cervical disc herniation. The present case is the youngest known of nontraumatic disc herniation without other underlying disease. Hypermobility due to neck cracking and a relatively narrow spinal canal might have been important in causing cervical myelopathy by disc herniation.

The Relationship Between Generalized Joint Hypermobility and Cervical Disc Degeneration, Neck Pain: A Multidisciplinary Clinical Study

“…[13,[21][22][23][24] Furthermore, cervical disc herniation is usually seen in cases aged >40 years, different from lumbar disc herniation. [25,26] Adams et al [27] showed that cadaveric discs aged >50 years are damaged even by minor traumas.…”

B-mode ultrasonography of herniated cervical discs in young people

“…Some patients with herniated discs may have no clinical symptoms [4]. Ikeda H. et al (2012) described a case of formation of a herniated cervical intervertebral disc with stenosis of the spinal canal and the development of a symptom of myelopathy, which was eliminated by surgical placement [5].…”