A rare cause of low back pain in adolescence – Bertolotti syndrome: A case report

BACKGROUND: Bertolotti syndrome (BS) is defined as a congenital anomaly of the spine that includes sacralization of the lowest lumbar vertebra or lumbarization of the first sacral vertebra (i.e., lumbosacral transitional vertebra- LSTV) and the pain associated with this condition. The incidence of BS in adolescence is rare; we found only three such case reports of patients under the age of 18 in the literature, here will add a fourth. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 17-year-old female presented with a 2-month history of low back pain exacerbated by physical activity. Her neurological examination was normal, except for pain elicited when applying pressure over the sacroiliac joints bilaterally, and over the spinous process of the L5 vertebra. The computed tomography scan documented BS: (i.e., LSTV – Castellvi classification: Type IIa on the left side). She was successfully treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) alone. CONCLUSION: Here, we report a 17-year-old female who was symptomatic from BS and was successfully treated with NSAIDs.