Retroperitoneal Hematoma Caused by Lumbar Artery Injury during Percutaneous Disc Nucleoplasty: Successful Treatment Using Emergent Transarterial Embolization

Although minimally invasive percutaneous disc nucleoplasty (PDN) has been widely used for discogenic back pain or soft-disc herniation of the lumbar spine, complications can occur. Although rare, iatrogenic vascular injuries during PDN are serious complications that can be fatal without rapid diagnosis and effective management. Here, we present the case of a 38-year-old male patient with an injury to the right fifth lumbar artery that occurred during PDN, which was successfully treated using emergent transarterial embolization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of successful transarterial embolization without open hematoma evacuation for a lumbar artery injury that occurred during PDN.

Automated summary

Although PDN has been widely used for treating discogenic back pain, iatrogenic vascular injuries are rare but serious complications. We report a case of successful emergent transarterial embolization for a lumbar artery injury that occurred during PDN, which, to our knowledge, is the first report of its kind.