Major destructive asymptomatic lumbar Charcot lesion treated with three column resection and short segment reconstruction. Case report, treatment strategy and review of literature.

Charcot's spine is a long-term complication of spinal cord injury. The lesion is often localized at the caudal end of long fusion constructs and distal to the level of paraplegia. However, cases are rare and the literature relevant to the management of Charcot's arthropathy is limited. This paper reviews the clinical features, diagnosis, and surgical management of post-traumatic spinal neuroarthropathy in the current literature. We present a rare case of adjacent level Charcot's lesion of the lumbar spine in a paraplegic patient, primarily treated for traumatic spinal cord lesion 39 years before current surgery. We have performed end-to-end apposition of bone after 3 column resection of the lesion, 3D correction of the deformity, and posterior instrumentation using a four-rod construct. Although the natural course of the disease remains unclear, surgery is always favorable and remains the primary treatment modality. Posterior long-segment spinal fusion with a four-rod construct is the mainstay of treatment to prevent further morbidity. Our technique eliminated the need for more extensive anterior surgery while preserving distal motion.