Misdiagnosis of posterior sequestered lumbar disc herniation: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Non-tumoral lesions are the most frequent misdiagnosis of posterior sequestered lumbar disc described in the literature. Early surgical treatment is the standard management due to high incidence of cauda equine syndrome (CES); however, spontaneous regression of posterior sequestered lumbar disc herniations has been recently reported. In conclusion low incidence and similar clinical and radiological features with other more common posterior spinal lesions like hematomas, synovial cyst or abscess turns posterior sequestered disc herniations a diagnosis challenge. Despite high incidence of CES, an initial conservative management should be evaluated in selected patients without neurological deficit and well-controlled pain.