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Had Pain Radiating From The Thoracic Area Of Spine. MRI Showed Lateral Disc Protrusion. Suggest?
Question: Since December I have had pain radiating from the thoracic area of the spine, around the right rib cage and to the front in the center of the right breast. XRay, CT Scan and MRI done. MRI disclosed lateral disc protrusion t5-t-6, right greater than left with right foraminal stenosis. moderate thoracic spine degeneration. Question: could this problem be causing the pain and could surgery correct and relieve the pain?
Dear Ma'am.
I have gone through your medical history in detail.
Pain in right thoracic area of spine, rib cage & right breast area may be secondary to a thoracic disc protrusion T5/6. But other local pathologies causing similar pain should always be ruled out. Other conditions such as breast lumps, breast abscess, herpes eruptions/neuralgia, local chest problems can produce similar symptoms and hence need to be excluded.
If everything else is normal surgical decompression of thoracic disc may relieve the pain. However I always recommend a fair conservative treatment trial with analgesics /muscle relaxants & gabapentin before jumping to surgery.
Hope I answered your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Dr. Praveen K Nath, XXXXXXX Consultant Neurosurgeon
I have gone through your medical history in detail.
Pain in right thoracic area of spine, rib cage & right breast area may be secondary to a thoracic disc protrusion T5/6. But other local pathologies causing similar pain should always be ruled out. Other conditions such as breast lumps, breast abscess, herpes eruptions/neuralgia, local chest problems can produce similar symptoms and hence need to be excluded.
If everything else is normal surgical decompression of thoracic disc may relieve the pain. However I always recommend a fair conservative treatment trial with analgesics /muscle relaxants & gabapentin before jumping to surgery.
Hope I answered your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Dr. Praveen K Nath, XXXXXXX Consultant Neurosurgeon
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
What is foraminal stenosis? It is in the T5-T6
How would surgery be performed?
How would surgery be performed?
Dear ma,am,
Foraminal stenosis is stenosis of neural foramen which causes pressure on exiting nerves of spine. It can be in T5/6.
Surgery is performed depending on extent/severity of nerve compression. It can be performed posteriorly (from the back) in most of the cases. Anterolateral decompression is needed in only few selected cases.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Dr. Praveen K Nath XXXXXXX Consultant Neurosurgeon
Foraminal stenosis is stenosis of neural foramen which causes pressure on exiting nerves of spine. It can be in T5/6.
Surgery is performed depending on extent/severity of nerve compression. It can be performed posteriorly (from the back) in most of the cases. Anterolateral decompression is needed in only few selected cases.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Dr. Praveen K Nath XXXXXXX Consultant Neurosurgeon
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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