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Complications of Posttraumatic Dorsal Cervical Spine Fusion


 Background: This study evaluates the occurence of complications of dorsal cervical spine fusion after cervical spine injuries. Methods:Dorsal cervical spine fusion due to fractures of the cervical spine was performed in 40 patients. During the first 6 postoperative weeks the occurrence of complications was observed.Results:In most cases the dorsal fusion was performed in the upper cervical spine. Severe systemic diseases were common in the cohort. No intraoperative complications, implant malpositioning or postoperative neurologic deficits were observed. In 3 cases a revision operation was performed due to surgical site infection. General complications were common (19 cases = 47.5 %) with pneumonia (20%) and cardial complications (12.5%) as the most frequent complications. In 2 cases (5%) the complications led to death due to sepsis and cardiogenic shock. Conclusions: Following the findings of our study there is a low surgical revision and complication rate after dorsal cervical spine fusion, while the rate of general complications appears to be much higher. Taking these complications into account cervical fusion operations should carefully be taken into consideration as a therapy option in cervical spine fractures. Trial registration: All procedures performed in the present study were in accordance with the ethical standards approved by the Ethical Committee of University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (reference number: 406/17)