Romanian Neurosurgery (Dec 2023)
Iatrogenic spinal cord herniation
Abstract
Introduction: Spinal cord herniation occurs idiopathically or is due to defective or weakened dura mater resulting from iatrogenic or traumatic lesions. Although there have been many reports of idiopathic cases, there are few reports of postoperative iatrogenic spinal cord herniation. The authors describe a rare case of postoperative spinal cord herniation in the cervical spine, with an extensive analysis of reported cases Materials and methods: This article reports a documented case of postoperative spinal cord herniation. The case description is followed by an analysis of the literature. Results: A 67-year-old woman who had cervical laminectomy 3 weeks before for cervical laminectomy, presented with neck pain and torticollis after coughing. The MRI findings showed a cervical medulla herniation with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. The patient underwent surgery to reduce the herniation and duroplasty with subsequent complete resolution of symptoms. Over the previous 50 years (1973–2023), 16 post-operative spinal cord herniation cases were reported. The mean patient age was 43.3 years (range 15–67 years). There was a male predominance (80%). The mean onset period after surgery was 292 weeks (range, 1 week to 728 weeks). Clinical symptomatology was polymorphic with non-specific signs. Conclusion: Iatrogenic spinal cord herniation is an extremely rare occurrence after spine surgery. The diagnosis must be evoked in case of any neurological degradation after surgery of the cervical spine, thoracic spine or thoracolumbar junction. The surgical management gives satisfactory clinical results.
