Journal of Rare Disorders: Diagnosis & Therapy

Traumatic Ventral Cord Herniation Presenting with Sexual Dysfunction: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Spinal cord herniation is a characteristic bulging from a defective arachnoid membrane and dura mater that is generally regarded as a rare neurosurgical case. Acknowledging that there are fewer than a hundred cases worldwide, this case report portrays a thirty-year-old male with diminished tactile, pinprick, and temperature sensation in the left lower and upper limbs consistent with Brown-Sequard syndrome presenting with a history of erectile dysfunction. This case report aims at raising awareness towards spinal cord herniations to better manage and treat this rare condition. As a treatment option, the patient underwent a surgical decompression using laminectomy to repair the dural defect with a synthetic dura mater below the level of T8. The implication of this case is to show that although ventral cord herniation associated with erectile dysfunction is a rare neurological case, it should be kept in the mind of physicians when faced with atypical cases of myelopathy that are not consistent with frequent etiologies. We show that such cases can be treated with surgical intervention, as it is imperative to patient treatment and recovery.

Keywords: Ventral cord; Herniation; Operative technique; Spinal cord surgery; Trauma

Author(s): Omar Al-Awar2,4, Georgio Haddad2,3*, Tarek Bou Dargham3, Mohamad Bahij Moumneh3, Elias Horanieh3, Christine Atallah3, Mira Bou Ayache5, Marwan M Haddad6 and Churl-Su Kwon1

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