This case involves a woman that had undergone spinal fusion surgery with pedicle screw placement. The patient underwent revision surgery several years later at another facility. The treating physician removed all the previous pedicle screws and extended the fusion. The patient experienced postoperative numbness in her legs that was dismissed as a common side effect of the surgery. In the 2 months following the surgery, the patient had 3 spinal X-rays that were read as normal. The patient continued to experience numbness with burning and pain and sought another physician’s opinion. The physician ordered an MRI of the lumbar spine which showed that the screws had been misplaced and were puncturing the patient’s lumbar nerves. The patient had to undergo a subsequent surgery to remove the pedicles. The patient suffered permanent nerve damage as a result of the puncture. In spite of spinal cord stimulators and rehabilitation, the patient continued to experience persistent back pain.
