Cervico-thoracic Interspinous Bursitis Associated with Bilateral Upper-extremity Numbness: A Case Report

Abstract

The authors describe a 48-year-old woman suffering from bilateral upper-extremity numbness and axial radiating pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed soft-tissue edema and enhancement surrounding the dorsal tip of the C7 spinous process. Excisional biopsy of the lesion revealed a mildly inflamed bursa, with no evidence of an active infection. Removal of the inflamed bursa resulted in complete resolution of the upper-extremity numbness and improvement in her neck pain. Although similar cases have been reported to be associated with rheumatologic conditions, most notably polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), the current report underlines the presentation of radicular-like complaints associated with interspinous bursitis in the absence of other conditions affecting the musculoskeleton.