Abstract

Background: Persistent notochordal canal is a rare developmental anomaly, typically restricted to 1 or 2 vertebral levels, and only in exceptional cases extending over a longer segment. It is usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally.
Case Report: A 30-year-old woman reported to our department for control lumbar spine plain films. About 2 years before, after minor trauma, she had been misdiagnosed on radiograms in another hospital as having a compression L5 vertebra fracture.
The assessment of current plain films and analysis of previous radiograms delivered indicated the need for taking a developmental anomaly into consideration.
Based on CT and MR of lumbar spine performed, a final diagnosis of a persistent notochordal canal was established.
Conclusions: In spite of its rare occurrence, the characteristic features of a persistent notochordal canal should be known by radiologists, particularly to avoid misinterpretation in post-traumatic patients.

Keywords: Notochord - pathology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods, Lumbar Vertebrae - pathology, Fractures, Compression - radiography, Diagnosis, Differential, Radiology - methods, Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods