Cervical spinal cord injury after thoracic spinal instrumentation: a case series.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective case report of 2 cases.

OBJECTIVE

To describe 2 cases of cervical spinal cord injury/vascular insult after posterior instrumentation of thoracic/thoracolumbar scoliosis.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal cord injury is an uncommon but well-documented complication associated with spinal deformity surgery. The midthoracic spinal cord is most vulnerable to these presumed vascular insults. Injuries above the level of instrumentation are rare.

METHODS

In this report, we review the clinical histories of 2 adolescent females undergoing posterior spinal fusion with subsequent cervical spinal cord injuries.

RESULTS

In both cases, intraoperative cervical alignment appeared neutral and all hardware appeared appropriately positioned. Spinal cord monitoring demonstrated changes in 1 patient but not in the other. With time, both patients improved clinically.

CONCLUSION

Cervical spinal cord injuries may occur after distal deformity correction.