{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T14:43:07Z","timestamp":1754145787580,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752710400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Surg."],"abstract":"<jats:p>The vacuum disc phenomenon (VDP), characterized by gas accumulation within degenerated intervertebral discs, is a radiographic hallmark of advanced spinal degeneration. Although this phenomenon is rare, VDP may also rarely present as radiculopathy due to the compression of nerve structures by dynamic gas migration\u2014which is different from typical intervertebral disc protrusion. This phenomenon predominantly affects elderly populations, with computed tomography (CT) imaging serving as the gold standard for detecting hypodense gas pockets and delineating their spatial relationship to nerve roots. Unlike mechanical compression from disc fragments, gas-induced symptoms are uniquely refractory to conservative therapies, necessitating targeted surgical strategies. This report details a 72-year-old female with acute L5 radiculopathy secondary to multilevel VDP, where percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar decompression achieved immediate symptom resolution through precise gas evacuation. The case underscores the critical interplay between imaging interpretation and minimally invasive intervention in addressing this rare yet debilitating complication of spinal degeneration, while advocating for standardized protocols to optimize patient selection and outcomes. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fsurg.2025.1595166","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T12:05:35Z","timestamp":1752753935000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Imaging features and percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar decompression of vacuum disc phenomenon-induced lumbosacral radiculopathy: case report"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Longxiao","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Saifei","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peng","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chunlei","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1177\/02841851221146666","article-title":"Intervertebral vacuum phenomenon\u2014prevalence and severity CT-scan analysis in patients older than 50 years: a retrospective cohort study","volume":"65","author":"Camino-Willhuber","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acta Radiol"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"164","DOI":"10.1186\/s12891-018-2086-7","article-title":"Morphology of intervertebral disc ruptures evaluated by vacuum phenomenon using multi-detector computed tomography: association with lumbar disc degeneration and canal stenosis","volume":"19","author":"Murata","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Musculoskelet Disord"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8338131","DOI":"10.1155\/2022\/8338131","article-title":"Lumbar radiculopathy caused by epidural gas collection","volume":"2022","author":"Hu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Case Rep Orthop"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"CASE21638","DOI":"10.3171\/CASE21638","article-title":"Intraforaminal cervical gas cyst with vacuum disc treated by anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: illustrative case","volume":"3","author":"Yamada","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Neurosurg Case Lessons"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S165","DOI":"10.21037\/jss.2019.11.02","article-title":"Lumbar vacuum disc, vertical instability, standalone endoscopic interbody fusion, and other treatments: an opinion based survey among minimally invasive spinal surgeons","volume":"6","author":"Lewandrowski","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Spine Surg"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1130","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0000000000004945","article-title":"Natural history of intradiscal vacuum phenomenon and its role in advanced disc degeneration","volume":"49","author":"Cawley","year":"2024","journal-title":"Spine (Phila Pa 1976)"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e16942","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.16942","article-title":"Pneumomediastinum from vacuum disc and vertebral trauma","volume":"13","author":"Ravago","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"329","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2474-15-329","article-title":"The effects of anterior vacuum disc on surgical outcomes of degenerative versus spondylolytic spondylolisthesis: at a minimum two-year follow-up","volume":"15","author":"Lin","year":"2014","journal-title":"BMC Musculoskelet Disord"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5827","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13195827","article-title":"Impact of the disc vacuum phenomenon on surgical outcomes in lumbar spinal stenosis: a comparative study between endoscopic decompression and minimally invasive oblique lateral interbody fusion","volume":"13","author":"Lee","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.4184\/asj.2016.10.1.93","article-title":"Comparison of posterior lumbar interbody fusion and posterolateral lumbar fusion in monosegmental vacuum phenomenon within an intervertebral disc","volume":"10","author":"An","year":"2016","journal-title":"Asian Spine J"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.2176\/nmc.52.106","article-title":"Symptomatic gas-containing herniated disc with the vacuum phenomenon: mechanism and treatment. 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