PM&R Meeting Abstracts

Official abstracts site for the AAPM&R Annual Assembly and the PM&R Journal.

MENU 
  • Home
  • Meetings Archive
    • AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2022
    • AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021
    • AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
    • AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2019
  • Resources
  • Advanced Search

Thoracic Radiculopathy Due to Thoracic Aneurysm: A Case Report

Yingrong Zhu, MD (New York University Grossman School of Medicine PM&R Program, New York, New York); Michael J. Pico, MD; Salvador E. Portugal, DO

Meeting: AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020

Categories: Pain and Spine Medicine (2020)

Session Information

Session Title: Virtual Poster Hall

Session Time: None. Available on demand.

Disclosures: Yingrong Zhu, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Case Description: The patient presented with 4 months of pain in the left thoracic region, extending from the anterior to posterior chest. She denied inciting trauma or events. Her pain was described as sharp, stabbing, pins and needles. She experienced paroxysmal attacks, lasting for a few hours before subsiding. On exam, the patient had full, pain free range of motion of the thoracic spine without tenderness to palpation. Sensation and skin were intact. The patient was diagnosed with pleuritic and myofascial pain and was prescribed etodolac, which alleviated her symptoms.

Setting: Outpatient physiatry office

Patient: 81-year-old woman with thoracic aortic aneurysm Assessment/

Results: On follow-up, the patient returned with decreased sensation of the middle and lower thoracic dermatomes. Thoracic MRI revealed a thoracic aneurysm measuring 4.5 cm, which was compressing the thoracic nerve roots. The patient was diagnosed with thoracic radiculopathy secondary to thoracic aneurysm and advised to see a vascular surgeon.

Discussion: Thoracic radiculopathy is an uncommon spinal pathology that is frequently overlooked in the evaluation of thoracic pain syndromes. The most frequent etiologies of thoracic radiculopathy include thoracic disc disease and diabetes mellitus. While thoracic spinal stenosis and foraminal narrowing are uncommon, the vertebral canal of the thoracic spine is smaller and more rounded compared to the cervical or lumbar spine, putting the thoracic spine at an increased risk of injury from a space-occupying lesion. Diagnosis is difficult as there are no specific physical exam maneuvers. Thus, detailed neurological examination and work up, including EMG and MRI, are key to diagnosis.

Conclusion: Thoracic radiculopathy is an often missed diagnosis in thoracic pain. However, MRI imaging can assist in its diagnoses.

Level of Evidence: Level V

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Zhu Y, Pico MJ, Portugal SE. Thoracic Radiculopathy Due to Thoracic Aneurysm: A Case Report [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/thoracic-radiculopathy-due-to-thoracic-aneurysm-a-case-report/. Accessed May 12, 2025.
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020

PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/thoracic-radiculopathy-due-to-thoracic-aneurysm-a-case-report/

Leading the Way. Baltimore, MD & Virtual. October 20-23, 2022. #aapmr22

PM&R Journal

View issues of PM&R on the Wiley Online Library »

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Visit the official site for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation »

AAPM&R Annual Assembly

Visit the official site for the AAPM&R Annual Assembly »

  • Help & Support
  • About Us
  • Cookies & Privacy
  • Wiley Job Network
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Advertisers & Agents
Copyright © 2025 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Wiley