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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1772760
Case Report

Brachioradial Pruritus Caused by Cervical Disc Herniation Precipitated by Trauma Treated with Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

Nicholas S. Hernandez
,
James L. Rogers 
,
Martin H. Pham
 Funding None.
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Abstract

Brachioradial pruritis (BRP) is a rare form of dermatomal pruritis that appears to be caused both by cervical radiculopathy and exposure to ultraviolet-light, although the exact pathophysiology for the manifestation of these symptoms remains to be determined. A diagnosis of BRP is typically confirmed with the “ice-pack” test and evidence of cervical spine pathology using magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment options consist of application of ice, reduction in sun exposure, and topical capsaicin, antiepileptics, or tricyclic antidepressants. Patients with refractory symptoms and cervical spine pathology may be candidates for surgical decompression, particularly at the C5 and C6 levels. However, there are currently no established guidelines to treat BRP, or surgical procedures that have shown to be superior. Here, we report two cases of cervical disc herniations after traumatic events that presented as BRP. Both cases were successfully treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with complete resolution of symptoms.

Keywords

brachioradial pruritis - cervical disc herniation - surgical fusion - ACDF - traumatic herniation

Authors' Contributions

MHP was involved in conceptualization and data acquisition. MHP and NSH helped in literature search, manuscript editing and review. NSH, MHP, and JLR prepared manuscript. MHP has provided guarantee.




Publication History

Article published online:
09 April 2024

© 2024. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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