Involvement of two consecutive vertebral bodies and intervertebral disc space in dorsal spinal hydatid disease

Abstract

A 59-year-old man who had a history of hepatic hydatid cyst operation presented with progressive back pain and paraparesis. Thoracic spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed heterogeneous low and high signal in the T9, T10 vertebral bodies and intervertebral disc space on both T1and T2weighted magnetic resonance imaging caused by hydatid disease. The intraspinal extradural cystic components of the lesion demonstrated low T1 signal and high T2 signal with low-signal-intensity rims on images (Figs. 1 and 2). Postcontrast images did not reveal significant enhancement (Fig. 3). Plain computed tomography demonstrated destruction of the T9, T10 vertebral end plates and posterior portion of the T10 vertebral body with sclerotic areas (Fig. 4). Surgery was performed, and a pathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid disease. Involvement of two consecutive vertebral bodies together with intervertebral disc space involvement in dorsal spinal hydatid disease is extremely rare and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of atypical spondylodiscitis.