Varicose epidural plexus, a neglected cause of low back pain

VernacularTitle:硬膜外静脉丛曲张致腰腿痛研究进展
Author: Na ZHAO ; Weiyu NI ; Yi LIANG ; Ziang HU
From: Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics 2021;41(2):123-128
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: The epidural venous plexus is considered as a cause of low back and leg pain but has been neglected for a long time. As an auxiliary drainage system of the vena cava, the epidural venous plexus plays an important role in the circulation of body fluids, and its tortuous expansion may lead to clinical symptoms similar to a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, by compressing nerve roots or dura. Due to the lack of specificity of imaging findings, it is difficult to distinguish accurately from disc herniation or spinal stenosis. The epidural venous plexus is tortuous and thin-walled, which is easy to be broken during the operation that resulted in obscuring the surgical field and leading to other complications such as postoperative hematoma. Despite researches of epidural venous plexus have been carried out for years, details are still left unknow. We hereby reviewed the latest research progress of the epidural venous plexus including anatomical structure, morphological characteristics, clinical significance and imaging examination.