Leriche's syndrome presenting as sciatica

Abstract

Sciatica is a common cause of lower back pain and claudication; the true etiology is often misunderstood. We report a case of a 53-year-old man who presented with sciatica. Clinically, there was evidence of aortoiliac obstruction with the absence of femoral pulses and a vascular index of 0.4 at the ankle. An aortogram revealed a very tight irregular stenosis of the aortic bifurcation and bilateral proximal common iliac arteries. After resection of diseased aorta, an aortoiliac graft was inserted. The symptoms subsided. This case highlights the importance of performing a complete vascular evaluation in patients diagnosed with sciatica.