Paraplegia following surgical correction of scoliosis with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation.

Three patients with paraplegia following corrective surgery for idiopathic scoliosis, using the Cotrel-Dubousset (CD) instrumentation, were admitted to our department over a period of 22 months. They were operated on by three different surgeons and they were the first serious neurological complications in these surgeons' careers. The monitoring method was the "wake-up" test, applied at the end of the correction maneuver with the instrument. One patient presented paraplegia at the "wake-up" test and the other two were paraplegic shortly after ceasing anesthesia. Electrophysiological spinal cord monitoring during surgery may reduce the risks of complications.