Symptomatic root compression by a free fat transplant after hemilaminectomy

Abstract
✓ The authors report a case in which a free fat graft, placed at the operative site after hemilaminectomy for lumbar disc herniation, was forced into the spinal canal by action of the paraspinal muscles and behaved as a symptomatic space-occupying lesion. The patient recovered satisfactorily after the graft was removed. The pathogenetic mechanism is discussed and guidelines to avoid this complication are outlined.
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