Neurologic complications after lumbar spine surgery.

With the increasing complexity and number of lumbar spine operations being performed, the potential number of patients who will sustain perioperative complications, including those that involve neural structures, has also increased. Neurologic complications after lumbar spine surgery can be categorized by the perioperative time period during which they occur and by their mechanism of injury. Although the overall incidence of neurologic complications after lumbar surgery is low, the severity of these injuries mandates careful preoperative planning, awareness of risk, and meticulous attention to perioperative details.