60-year-old woman gets relief from lower back pain through special procedure by surgeons at MMHRC

Doctors at Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre removed a large pseudomeningocele – an abnormal sac filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear, colourless fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord – from the lower back of a 60-year-old woman, which had been causing severe back pain. The condition was likely a complication of a previous spine surgery (L5–S1 discectomy) performed elsewhere five years ago.

Since the patient also had advanced disc degeneration in the lower spine (L4–L5 and L5–S1), the team additionally stabilised the spine by fusing the affected vertebrae. The treatment also involved duraplasty, a procedure to repair a tear in the spinal covering and prevent future leakage of spinal fluid. In addition, surgeons performed a special procedure (Limberg flap), repositioning nearby healthy skin and tissue to effectively cover and heal the area, as the long-standing swelling had created a large defect in the back.