Adjacent Segment Impingement: A New Type of Adjacent Segment Disease?

A Report of 3 Cases

Abstract

Case: 

We present 3 cases in which spinal rods extending beyond the intended level of fusion caused injury to adjacent structures, which we term “adjacent segment impingement.” All cases presented as back pain with no neurological symptoms, with a minimum 6 years of follow-up from the initial procedure. Treatment consisted of extending the fusion to include the affected adjacent segment.

Conclusion: 

We recommend surgeons check to ensure spinal rods are not abutting adjacent level structures at the time of the initial implant while considering that adjacent levels may move closer to the rod during spine extension or twisting.