Segmental artery injury during transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy: Two case reports

BACKGROUND: Since Kambin experimentally induced arthroscopy to treat herniated nucleus pulposus, percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) has been developed. The branch of the segmental artery around the neural foramen may be damaged during PELD using the transforaminal approach. We report 2 rare cases in which segmental artery injury that occurred during PELD was treated with emergency embolization. CASE SUMMARY: In case 1, a 31-year-old man was transferred to our emergency department with left lower quadrant abdominal pain after PELD at a local hospital. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging after the surgery showed a hematoma of the left retroperitoneal area and the psoas muscle area. Under suspicion of vascular injury, arteriography was performed. Pseudoaneurysm and blood leakage from the left 4th lumbar segmental artery into the abdominal cavity were identified. Emergency transarterial embolization was performed using fibered microcoils for bleeding of the segmental artery. In case 2, a 75-year-old woman was transferred to our emergency department with low blood pressure, right flank pain, and drowsy mental status after PELD at a local hospital. When the patient arrived at the emergency room, the blood pressure decreased from 107/55 mmHg to 72/47 mmHg. Low blood pressure persisted. Under suspicion of vessel injury, arteriography was performed, and the right 4th lumbar segmental artery rupture was confirmed. Emergency transarterial embolization was performed for bleeding of segmental artery. CONCLUSION: We were able to find the bleeding focus by angiography and treat the injury of the segmental artery successfully through emergency transarterial embolization.