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Case Reports
. 2021 Jul 6;13(7):e16208.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.16208. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Delayed Anterior Cervical Screw Migration Causing Swallowing Difficulty

Timothy Maurer  1 , Robert Maurer  2 , George T Reiter  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Delayed Anterior Cervical Screw Migration Causing Swallowing Difficulty

Timothy Maurer et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Cervical disc disease is a common pathology that may require surgical intervention. A common surgical intervention for cervical disc disease is anterior discectomy and fusion. A number of complications are associated with this technique, including hoarseness, dysphagia, pseudoarthrosis, adjacent segment disease, and hardware failure. Here, we present a case detailing a unique complication of delayed migration of an anterior cervical screw which resulted in swallowing difficulties. Subsequently, we discuss the related reports and highlight the literature on the topic. We conclude with a brief discussion on the principle of patient autonomy.

Keywords: acdf; cervical; dysphagia; hardware failure; spine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Cervical radiographic images.
(A) Postoperative X-ray one year following C3-4, C4-5 ACDF. (B) Postoperative X-ray 17 months following ACDF. (C) Postoperative X-ray 18 months following ACDF. Note the caudal screw at C3-4 fusion progressively backs out until the screw is observed free-floating in the soft tissue. ACDF: anterior cervical discectomy with fusion
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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