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Case Reports
. 2015 Oct;11(2):191-4.
doi: 10.13004/kjnt.2015.11.2.191. Epub 2015 Oct 31.

Delayed Esophagus Perforation after Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Sei-Youn Yang  1 , Sang-Bok Lee  1 , Kyoung-Suok Cho  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Delayed Esophagus Perforation after Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Sei-Youn Yang et al. Korean J Neurotrauma. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Esophageal perforation is a serious possible complication after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). It usually occurs during the first postoperative day. Esophageal perforation is a potentially life-threatening complication. A 63-year-old man who underwent ACDF 8 years prior visited our emergency room with recurrent aspiration pneumonia, fever, dysphagia and neck pain. Endoscopic study showed esophageal perforation by cervical plate. Successful treatment of the perforation resulted after surgical repair using a sternocleidomastoid muscle flap. We presented a rare case of delayed esophageal perforation after ACDF and successful treatment of the perforation by surgical repair using a sternocleidomastoid muscle flap.

Keywords: Cervical vertebrae; Complications; Esophageal perforation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1. Lateral radiograph of the cervical spine showing appropriate placement of the plate from C6 to C7 without hardware failure.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2. Esophagoscopic image shows the cervical plate protruding through the posterior wall of the esophagus.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3. Preoperative cervical spine computed tomographic scan shows the prevertebral gas between plate and spinal column.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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