TY - JOUR
T1 - Pharyngoesophageal Damage from Hardware Extrusion at an Average of 7.5 Years After Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion
T2 - A Case Series, Discussion of Risk Factors, and Guide for Management
AU - Yahanda, Alexander T.
AU - Pennicooke, Brenton
AU - Ray, Wilson Z.
AU - Hacker, Carl D.
AU - Kelly, Michael
AU - Dorward, Ian G.
AU - Santiago, Paul
AU - Molina, Camilo
N1 - Funding Information:
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the article content was composed in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Objective: We present a single-institution case series of patients who experienced pharyngoesophageal damage, specifically from extruded hardware occurring at an average of 7.5 years after anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients who had undergone ACDF with subsequent delayed pharyngoesophageal perforation or erosion from extruded hardware ≥1 year after surgery. A discussion of the literature surrounding this complication, including risk factors and management, is also presented. Results: Nine patients were identified (average age 58 years, 66.7% male) among a total of 4122 ACDF patients (incidence: 0.22%). Average time to injury was 7.5 years. Indications for initial ACDF were degenerative cervical disease (n = 7), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 1), and cervical fracture (n = 1). Eight patients had prior multilevel ACDF spanning 2 (n = 4), 3 (n = 1), or 4 levels (n = 2). Fusion levels for prior ACDF included C5-C7 (n = 3), C3-C7 (n = 2), C4-C7 (n = 1), C4-C6 (n = 1), C2-C5 (n = 1), and C6-C7 (n = 1). Pharyngoesophageal injuries included esophageal perforation (n = 3), pharyngeal perforation (n = 2), esophageal erosion (n = 3), and pharyngoesophageal erosion (n = 1). In most (n = 6) cases, the cause of pharyngoesophageal damage was due to ≥1 extruded screws. Dysphagia (n = 8) was the most common presenting symptom. For perforations (n = 5), 2 repairs used a rotational flap to reinforce a primary closure; the other 3 cases were repaired via primary closure. Conclusions: Pharyngoesophageal damage caused by extruded hardware may occur several years after ACDF. These delayed complications are difficult to predict. Proper screw placement may be the most important factor for minimizing the chances of this potentially devastating complication, particularly with multilevel constructs.
AB - Objective: We present a single-institution case series of patients who experienced pharyngoesophageal damage, specifically from extruded hardware occurring at an average of 7.5 years after anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients who had undergone ACDF with subsequent delayed pharyngoesophageal perforation or erosion from extruded hardware ≥1 year after surgery. A discussion of the literature surrounding this complication, including risk factors and management, is also presented. Results: Nine patients were identified (average age 58 years, 66.7% male) among a total of 4122 ACDF patients (incidence: 0.22%). Average time to injury was 7.5 years. Indications for initial ACDF were degenerative cervical disease (n = 7), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 1), and cervical fracture (n = 1). Eight patients had prior multilevel ACDF spanning 2 (n = 4), 3 (n = 1), or 4 levels (n = 2). Fusion levels for prior ACDF included C5-C7 (n = 3), C3-C7 (n = 2), C4-C7 (n = 1), C4-C6 (n = 1), C2-C5 (n = 1), and C6-C7 (n = 1). Pharyngoesophageal injuries included esophageal perforation (n = 3), pharyngeal perforation (n = 2), esophageal erosion (n = 3), and pharyngoesophageal erosion (n = 1). In most (n = 6) cases, the cause of pharyngoesophageal damage was due to ≥1 extruded screws. Dysphagia (n = 8) was the most common presenting symptom. For perforations (n = 5), 2 repairs used a rotational flap to reinforce a primary closure; the other 3 cases were repaired via primary closure. Conclusions: Pharyngoesophageal damage caused by extruded hardware may occur several years after ACDF. These delayed complications are difficult to predict. Proper screw placement may be the most important factor for minimizing the chances of this potentially devastating complication, particularly with multilevel constructs.
KW - Anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion
KW - Cervical construct
KW - Cervical fusion
KW - Hardware extrusion
KW - Hardware failure
KW - Spine surgery
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123005308&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.12.110
DO - 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.12.110
M3 - Article
C2 - 34990840
AN - SCOPUS:85123005308
SN - 1878-8750
VL - 160
SP - e189-e198
JO - World neurosurgery
JF - World neurosurgery
ER -