An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain
Musculoskeletal aetiologies account for most patients presenting with chest pain. Intercostal neuralgia is a lesser-known cause of musculoskeletal chest pain, which can present a diagnostic challenge with nonspecific imaging findings. We report a case of a 31-year-old male who presented with severe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Vilnius University Press
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Acta Medica Lituanica |
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| Online Access: | https://www.zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/32633 |
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| author | Rajesh Botchu Lorraine Aspland Sisith Ariyaratne James Burgess Gurjit Bhogal David Beale |
| author_facet | Rajesh Botchu Lorraine Aspland Sisith Ariyaratne James Burgess Gurjit Bhogal David Beale |
| author_sort | Rajesh Botchu |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Musculoskeletal aetiologies account for most patients presenting with chest pain. Intercostal neuralgia is a lesser-known cause of musculoskeletal chest pain, which can present a diagnostic challenge with nonspecific imaging findings. We report a case of a 31-year-old male who presented with severe lower thoracic and chest wall pain following a suspected viral infection, where Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed characteristic features of denervation oedema within the affected intercostal muscles. This pattern of imaging findings in intercostal neuralgia is sparely described in the current literature. MRI along with history and examination was crucial in diagnosing the condition and excluding other potential causes of musculoskeletal chest wall pain on this occasion. The patient’s symptoms were subsequently managed conservatively. The case highlights the importance of considering intercostal neuralgia as a potential cause of chest wall pain, particularly in the setting of post viral infection and absence of preceding mechanical musculoskeletal injury and explores an uncommon yet characteristic imaging finding which may be important in diagnosing the condition.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39a1000b77054e7fa2d62dc7534d0e1f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1392-0138 2029-4174 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Vilnius University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Medica Lituanica |
| spelling | doaj-art-39a1000b77054e7fa2d62dc7534d0e1f2025-02-11T18:08:39ZengVilnius University PressActa Medica Lituanica1392-01382029-41742024-02-0131110.15388/Amed.2024.31.1.4An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest PainRajesh Botchu0Lorraine Aspland1Sisith Ariyaratne2James Burgess3Gurjit Bhogal4David Beale5Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UKCentre of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UKDepartment of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UKCentre of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UKCentre of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UKDepartment of Radiology, Heath Lodge Clinic, Knowle, UK Musculoskeletal aetiologies account for most patients presenting with chest pain. Intercostal neuralgia is a lesser-known cause of musculoskeletal chest pain, which can present a diagnostic challenge with nonspecific imaging findings. We report a case of a 31-year-old male who presented with severe lower thoracic and chest wall pain following a suspected viral infection, where Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed characteristic features of denervation oedema within the affected intercostal muscles. This pattern of imaging findings in intercostal neuralgia is sparely described in the current literature. MRI along with history and examination was crucial in diagnosing the condition and excluding other potential causes of musculoskeletal chest wall pain on this occasion. The patient’s symptoms were subsequently managed conservatively. The case highlights the importance of considering intercostal neuralgia as a potential cause of chest wall pain, particularly in the setting of post viral infection and absence of preceding mechanical musculoskeletal injury and explores an uncommon yet characteristic imaging finding which may be important in diagnosing the condition. https://www.zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/32633Denervationpost viral infectionintercostal neuralgiarib painthoracicMRI |
| spellingShingle | Rajesh Botchu Lorraine Aspland Sisith Ariyaratne James Burgess Gurjit Bhogal David Beale An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain Acta Medica Lituanica Denervation post viral infection intercostal neuralgia rib pain thoracic MRI |
| title | An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain |
| title_full | An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain |
| title_fullStr | An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain |
| title_short | An Unusual Case of Denervation Changes of the Intercostal Muscles Associated with Intercostal Neuralgia in a Patient with Chest Pain |
| title_sort | unusual case of denervation changes of the intercostal muscles associated with intercostal neuralgia in a patient with chest pain |
| topic | Denervation post viral infection intercostal neuralgia rib pain thoracic MRI |
| url | https://www.zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/32633 |
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