An unusual obstacle to the thoracic interlaminar epidural injection for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia.

Abstract

Interlaminar epidural steroid injections corresponding to dermatomes affected by post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) were found effective in reducing pain. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a non-inflammatory condition that mainly occurs with calcification and ossification of spinal ligaments such as anterior and posterior longitudinal, interspinous, supraspinous ligament, and ligamentum flavum. In this case, it is presented that the failure of the access to the T7-T8 interlaminar space due to the supra/interspinous ligament calcification and ossification accompanied by thoracic DISH in a 73-year-old male for the treatment of PHN.