Pseudogout of the lumbar facet joints is rare. We report on a 69-year-old woman with 2-level symptomatic synovial cysts of the facet joints caused by calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition. She underwent surgical decompression for sciatica and low back pain. At one-year follow-up, she had recovered completely.
BoviatsisEJStavrinouLCKouyialisATGavraMMStavrinouPCThemistokleousM. Spinal synovial cysts: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and surgical treatment in a series of seven cases and literature review. Eur Spine J2008;17:831–7.
4.
RadatzMJakubowskiJCooperJPowellT. Synovial cysts of the lumbar spine: A review. Br J Neurosurg1997;11:520–4.
5.
KjerulfTDTerryDWJrBoubelikRJ. Lumbar synovial or ganglion cysts. Neurosurgery1986;19:415–20.
6.
IkutaKTonoOOgaM. Prevalence and clinical features of intraspinal facet cysts after decompression surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. J Neurosurg Spine2009;10:617–22.
7.
MiyatakeNAizawaTHyodoHSasakiHKusakabeTSatoT. Facet cyst haematoma in the lumbar spine: A report of four cases. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong)2009;17:80–4.
FujishiroTNabeshimaYYasuiSFujitaIYoshiyaSFujiiH. Pseudogout attack of the lumbar facet joint: A case report. Spine (Phila Pa 1976)2002;27:E396–8.
10.
GadgilAAEisensteinSMDarbyAPullicinoV Cassar. Bilateral symptomatic synovial cysts of the lumbar spine caused by calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease: A case report. Spine (Phila Pa 1976)2002;27:E428–31.
11.
MahmudTBasuDDysonPH. Crystal arthropathy of the lumbar spine: A series of six cases and a review of the literature. J Bone Joint Surg Br2005;87:513–7.
12.
KohnNNHughesREMcCartyDJJrFairesJS. The significance of calcium phosphate crystals in the synovial fluid of arthritic patients: The “pseudogout syndrome”. I. Clinical aspects. Ann Intern Med1962;56:711–37.
13.
ZakaRWilliamsCJ. Genetics of chondrocalcinosis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage2005;13:745–50.
14.
CameronCRBurgessCD. Recurrent back pain and fevers. Med J Aust2007;186:208–9.