The Immediate Safety Profile after Complex Anterior Cervical Reconstruction Surgery

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the most commonly performed procedures in spine surgery proven effective in the treatment of various cervical pathologies [1-4]. Single level ACDF is generally a safe procedure with a very good outcome carrying minimal or no complications. However, although rarely encountered, complications can arise but are generally not a source of major morbidity [4]. Reported complications in the literature that are related to ACDF are dysphagia, esophageal perforation, post-operative hematoma, recurrent laryngeal nerve “RLN” injury, Horner’s syndrome, vascular injury, thoracic duct injury, respiratory insufficiency, pneumothorax, hemothorax, dural tear with CSF leak, wound infection, epidural abscess, spondylodiscitis, worsening of neurological symptoms, bone graft extrusion, instrumentation failure and some rare complications such as glosso-pharyngeal and facial nerve paresis, hypoglossal nerve injury, injury of the cervical plexus, vertebral artery injury with fistulous connection to the surrounding cervical venous plexus and cerebral infarction [4-25].