Extract
Paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery is an uncommon,
albeit devastating, complication. Flynn analyzed data from 36,657 anterior
cervical interbody arthrodeses performed by 704 neurosurgeons and noted that
only 100 patients (0.3%) had a permanent neurologic
deficit1.
Seventy-five percent of these patients exhibited symptoms of a neurologic
deficit immediately on emergence from anesthesia, whereas 25% exhibited
symptoms early in the postoperative recovery period. The most common causes of
spinal cord injury during cervical spine surgery include surgical trauma,
vascular compromise, graft impingement, instrument misplacement, and spinal
manipulation.