RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bilateral C5 Motor Palsy after Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
JF International Journal of Spine Surgery
JO Int J Spine Surg
FD International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery
SP 14
DO 10.14444/4014
VO 11
IS 2
A1 Andelman, Steven M.
A1 McAnany, Steven J.
A1 Qureshi, Sheeraz A.
A1 Hecht, Andrew C.
YR 2017
UL https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/11/2/14.abstract
AB Background Bilateral C5 motor palsy is a rare but potentially debilitating complication after cervical spine decompression with very few reports in the published literature.Purpose To present a case of bilateral C5 motor palsy after anterior cervical decompression and fusion and discuss the incidence and risk factors of this complication.Study Design/Setting We report a case of a 57-year-old male who underwent a three level C3-C6 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with instrumentation who developed a postoperative bilateral C5 motor palsy.Methods A review of the literature was performed regarding reports on and incidence of post-operative bilateral C5 palsy following either anterior or posterior cervical spine decompression.Results Bilateral C5 motor palsy is a rare complication of cervical spine decompression with an overall incidence of 0.38%. Although a group of risk factors have been suggested no single cause has been identified.Conclusions Bilateral C5 motor palsy is a rare but debilitating complication of cervical decompression.