Esophageal and vertebral artery injuries during complex cervical spine surgery--avoidance and management.

Abstract

Vertebral artery and esophageal injuries are rare but feared complications of cervical spine surgery. Appropriate understanding of treatment algorithms for prompt intervention in the event of a vertebral artery injury minimizes the risk of exsanguination and/or profound neurologic consequences. Esophageal injuries are often more subtle, and although intraoperative injuries can sometimes be diagnosed at the time of surgery, they frequently do not present until the week after surgery. They can additionally be seen as a late complication of instrumentation usage and/or failure. Expedient diagnosis and management of these injuries minimize their impact and allow for optimal treatment outcome.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Grabowski G, Cornett CA, Kang JD

Institution

Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Two Medical Park, Suite 404, Columbia, SC 29203, USA. gregory.grabowski78@gmail.com

Source

The Orthopedic clinics of North America 43:1 2012 Jan pg 63-74, viii

MeSH

Adult
Aged
Arteries
Atlanto-Axial Joint
Cervical Vertebrae
Combined Modality Therapy
Decompression, Surgical
Esophagus
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Intraoperative Complications
Magnetic Resonance Angiography
Male
Middle Aged
Orthopedic Procedures
Risk Assessment
Spinal Diseases
Spinal Fusion
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Treatment Outcome
Vascular System Injuries
Vertebral Artery

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22082630