Horner's syndrome due to postoperative hematoma following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

BACKGROUND

We report a symptomatic retropharyngeal hematoma resulting in a transient Horner's syndrome in a 51-year-old female following an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 51-year-old female underwent an ACDF at C5-6 for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. On postoperative day 4, she developed a retropharyngeal hematoma and Horner's syndrome. A review of the preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative findings in this patient uniquely indicated that her middle sympathetic ganglion and nerve ran inside the common carotid artery.

CONCLUSION

Here, we report a 51-year-old-female who, following an ACDF, developed a postoperative retropharyngeal hematoma that resulted in a Horner's syndrome attributed to a neuroanatomic anomaly (i.e., middle sympathetic ganglion was of the "medial type").