Delayed Esophageal Perforation After Cervical Osteosynthesis

Case Report

Korean J Spine 2005;2(1): 80-83.

Je-Il Ryu, M.D., Jin-Hwan Cheong, M.D., Koang-Hum Bak, M.D., Choong-Hyun Kim, M.D., Jae-Min Kim, M.D.

Department of Neurosurgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Guri, Korea

Delayed Esophageal Perforation After Cervical Osteosynthesis

Je-Il Ryu^, M.D.^, Jin-Hwan Cheong^, M.D.^, Koang-Hum Bak^, M.D.^, Choong-Hyun Kim^, M.D.^, Jae-Min Kim^, M.D.

Abstract

Perforation of the esophagus after a fracture of the cervical spine is a very rare but devasating complication of anterior cervical spine surgery and cervical spine injuries. A 20-year-old man underwent anterior spinal surgery for cervical compression fracture at another institution. Two weeks after operation, he became febrile and septic. The patient was transfered to our medical center. The patient did not improve in spite of removal of anterior cervical plate and multiple drainage procedures and long-term parenteral antibiotic treatment. The cause of the delayed perforation of the esophagus is unclear. The purpose of this report is to review the literature and present such a lesion that occurred following a C5-6 fracture dislocation or anterior cervical spine surgery.

Keywords: Anterior cervical spine surgery.Fracture-dislocation.Esophaseal perforation