[Postoperative syndrome after spine surgery]

Abstract

Postoperative syndrome after spine surgery, i.e., symptoms or syndromes caused by complications or procedure-related consequences, is gaining more and more importance. Due to great improvements concerning imaging and operative techniques (microsurgery, instrumentation) the total number of spinal surgeries as well as their related complications are increasing. Procedure-related postoperative complications including neurological deficit syndromes can occur acutely or at a later date. Concerning imaging techniques for postoperative evaluation after spinal surgery there are several modalities available. Their indications depend on complex factors including initial pathology the surgery was performed for, kind of surgical technique (surgical approach, instrumentation), anatomy of the patient as well as the time between onset of symptoms and surgery. In cases of ambiguous findings, the combination of different imaging techniques can be instrumental.