Biomaterial Database

Acute Tetraplegia after Posterior Cervical Laminectomy for Chronic Myelopathy. 2015

Justin A Iorio, and Andre M Jakoi, and Franklin T Wetzel

Hospital for Special Surgery Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York, NY.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) during revision surgery for persistent multilevel cervical myelopathy (MCM) after an initial anterior procedure is rare. However, the pathophysiology of MCM, even prior to surgery, is a risk-factor for neurological deterioration due to the development of a "sick cord", which reflects pathological changes in the spinal cord that lower the threshold for injury. We report a case of persistent MCM despite a three-level ACDF and corpectomy who developed an incomplete C6 tetraplegia during revision cervical laminectomy and posterior instrumentation. Intraoperative neuromonitoring signal-changes occurred in the absence of mechanical trauma. Postoperative MRI of the cervical spine demonstrated increased T2 hyperintensity and cord expansion at C3 and C4 compared to the pre-laminectomy MRI. The patient has not made improvements in her neurological status at 13 months postoperatively. The pathophysiology of MCM is discussed in addition to perioperative imaging, neuromonitoring, and use of steroids.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007796	Laminectomy	A surgical procedure that entails removing all (laminectomy) or part (laminotomy) of selected vertebral lamina to relieve pressure on the SPINAL CORD and/or SPINAL NERVE ROOTS. Vertebral lamina is the thin flattened posterior wall of vertebral arch that forms the vertebral foramen through which pass the spinal cord and nerve roots.	Laminotomy,Laminectomies,Laminotomies
D011782	Quadriplegia	Severe or complete loss of motor function in all four limbs which may result from BRAIN DISEASES; SPINAL CORD DISEASES; PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES; NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES; or rarely MUSCULAR DISEASES. The locked-in syndrome is characterized by quadriplegia in combination with cranial muscle paralysis. Consciousness is spared and the only retained voluntary motor activity may be limited eye movements. This condition is usually caused by a lesion in the upper BRAIN STEM which injures the descending cortico-spinal and cortico-bulbar tracts.	Quadriparesis,Spastic Quadriplegia,Tetraplegia,Flaccid Quadriplegia,Flaccid Tetraplegia,Paralysis, Spinal, Quadriplegic,Spastic Tetraplegia,Flaccid Quadriplegias,Flaccid Tetraplegias,Quadripareses,Quadriplegia, Flaccid,Quadriplegia, Spastic,Quadriplegias,Quadriplegias, Flaccid,Quadriplegias, Spastic,Spastic Quadriplegias,Spastic Tetraplegias,Tetraplegia, Flaccid,Tetraplegia, Spastic,Tetraplegias,Tetraplegias, Flaccid,Tetraplegias, Spastic
D002574	Cervical Vertebrae	The first seven VERTEBRAE of the SPINAL COLUMN, which correspond to the VERTEBRAE of the NECK.	Cervical Spine,Cervical Spines,Spine, Cervical,Vertebrae, Cervical
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D013118	Spinal Cord Diseases	Pathologic conditions which feature SPINAL CORD damage or dysfunction, including disorders involving the meninges and perimeningeal spaces surrounding the spinal cord. Traumatic injuries, vascular diseases, infections, and inflammatory/autoimmune processes may affect the spinal cord.	Myelopathy,Spinal Cord Disorders,Myelopathies,Spinal Cord Disease,Spinal Cord Disorder