Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Sciatic Nerve Mimicking Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Diagnostic Challenge

Chang Jun Chen; Jun Feng Yin; Jing Wen Zhao; Xin Zhao; Hao Xuan Zhang; Meng Chen; Da Yong Peng

doi:10.14740/wjon1777

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Sciatic Nerve Mimicking Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Diagnostic Challenge

World J Oncol. 2024 Jun;15(3):521-525. doi: 10.14740/wjon1777. Epub 2024 Apr 15.

Authors

Chang Jun Chen^{1

2}, Jun Feng Yin^{1

2}, Jing Wen Zhao³, Xin Zhao⁴, Hao Xuan Zhang¹, Meng Chen¹, Da Yong Peng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Key Laboratory of Rheumatic Disease and Translational Medicine, Jinan, China.
² Chang Jun Chen and Jun Feng Yin contributed equally to this work.
³ International Medical Center, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China.
⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.

Abstract

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs), which involve the proliferation of fibroblastic-myofibroblastic cells mixed with inflammatory infiltrates, are exceedingly rare in the extremities. There are no reported IMTs involving the sciatic nerve. This type of involvement may cause entrapment of the sciatic nerve, whose symptoms may mimic lumbar disc herniation (LDH), especially when it occurs in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. We describe the case of a 40-year-old male with lumbar degenerative disc disease accompanied by IMT involving the sciatic nerve whose symptoms mimicked LDH and posed a diagnostic challenge. We showed the course of the disease as well as the systematic imaging manifestations of IMTs involving the sciatic nerve and discussed their therapeutic management.

Keywords: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor; Lumbar disc herniation; Sciatic nerve.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (grant no. ZR2023QH517; ZR2022QH252); Clinical Medical Science and Technology Innovation Program of Jinan Science and Technology Bureau (grant no. 202328059); Foundation of Research Hospital Association of Shandong Province (grant no. 2022016); Foundation of Scientific Research Incubation of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences (grant no. 202201-086); Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong Province (No.tsqn202312357); National Science Foundation of China (No.81902188).