Myocardial stunning caused by sympathetic nerve injury after an operation on cervical vertebrae.

In this case, electrocardiographic inverted T waves appeared after cervical laminaplasty and echocardiogram showed temporary wall motion abnormality. Myocardial metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake was obviously reduced in the same area where the wall motion abnormalities appeared in the echocardiogram, although no abnormalities were detected with myocardial thallium scintigraphy and coronary angiography. The myocardial stunning was caused by injury to the sympathetic nerves from a surgical procedure on the cervical vertebrae.