STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe a serious complication of multilevel radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the cervical spine. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Percutaneous RFA is an accepted nonoperative modality for the treatment of neck pain. When the procedure is performed according to established guidelines, serious adverse events are rare. METHODS: The authors performed a clinical and radiographic case review. RESULTS: A 54-year-old woman presented with neck pain and weakness with cervical kyphosis. She had undergone left-sided RFA of the third occipital nerve and C2-C4 facet joints 8 weeks prior to presentation. The patient was incapable of extending her neck, although the deformity was passively correctable. Imaging revealed no lesions to which the kyphosis could be attributed. As the deformity progressed over the subsequent 3 months, surgery was recommended. An instrumented posterior fusion from C2 to T2 was performed with correction of the chin-on-chest deformity and improvement in the patient's axial neck pain. CONCLUSIONS: Dropped head syndrome is a rare yet potentially debilitating complication of multilevel cervical RFA.
STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe a serious complication of multilevel radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the cervical spine. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Percutaneous RFA is an accepted nonoperative modality for the treatment of neck pain. When the procedure is performed according to established guidelines, serious adverse events are rare. METHODS: The authors performed a clinical and radiographic case review. RESULTS: A 54-year-old woman presented with neck pain and weakness with cervical kyphosis. She had undergone left-sided RFA of the third occipital nerve and C2-C4 facet joints 8 weeks prior to presentation. The patient was incapable of extending her neck, although the deformity was passively correctable. Imaging revealed no lesions to which the kyphosis could be attributed. As the deformity progressed over the subsequent 3 months, surgery was recommended. An instrumented posterior fusion from C2 to T2 was performed with correction of the chin-on-chest deformity and improvement in the patient's axial neck pain. CONCLUSIONS:Dropped head syndrome is a rare yet potentially debilitating complication of multilevel cervical RFA.
Authors: Robert W Hurley; Meredith C B Adams; Meredith Barad; Arun Bhaskar; Anuj Bhatia; Andrea Chadwick; Timothy R Deer; Jennifer Hah; W Michael Hooten; Narayan R Kissoon; David Wonhee Lee; Zachary Mccormick; Jee Youn Moon; Samer Narouze; David A Provenzano; Byron J Schneider; Maarten van Eerd; Jan Van Zundert; Mark S Wallace; Sara M Wilson; Zirong Zhao; Steven P Cohen Journal: Pain Med Date: 2021-11-26 Impact factor: 3.750
Authors: Robert W Hurley; Meredith C B Adams; Meredith Barad; Arun Bhaskar; Anuj Bhatia; Andrea Chadwick; Timothy R Deer; Jennifer Hah; W Michael Hooten; Narayan R Kissoon; David Wonhee Lee; Zachary Mccormick; Jee Youn Moon; Samer Narouze; David A Provenzano; Byron J Schneider; Maarten van Eerd; Jan Van Zundert; Mark S Wallace; Sara M Wilson; Zirong Zhao; Steven P Cohen Journal: Reg Anesth Pain Med Date: 2021-11-11 Impact factor: 6.288
Authors: Steven P Cohen; Arun Bhaskar; Anuj Bhatia; Asokumar Buvanendran; Tim Deer; Shuchita Garg; W Michael Hooten; Robert W Hurley; David J Kennedy; Brian C McLean; Jee Youn Moon; Samer Narouze; Sanjog Pangarkar; David Anthony Provenzano; Richard Rauck; B Todd Sitzman; Matthew Smuck; Jan van Zundert; Kevin Vorenkamp; Mark S Wallace; Zirong Zhao Journal: Reg Anesth Pain Med Date: 2020-04-03 Impact factor: 6.288