Complications following minor trauma in a patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is a little known but potentially devastating ankylosing disorder of the spine. It has been associated with fractures following minor trauma, which tend to be unrecognized, unstable, and associated with treatment delays and permanent neurologic deficits. We present a case of minor trauma to an elderly patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis who subsequently developed severe neurologic deficits and later died of complications related to the disease. Diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and sequelae of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis are discussed.