STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To report a rare complication of anterior spine surgery and instrumentation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation are now frequently used for the treatment of a variety of complex spinal disorders. Several authors have discussed the complications of such procedures. Late perforation of large bowel along with erosion of major vessel after anterior spinal instrumentation is a rare occurrence. METHODS: We present a case of 53-year-old woman who presented with unusual abdominal pain and bleeding of the rectum. She had undergone spine surgery for L5 burst fracture 5 years ago. A detailed evaluation showed perforation of rectosigmoid colon and erosion of left common iliac artery by the anterior spine implants. RESULTS: The bowel was repaired and arterial reconstruction was done along with spine implant removal. The patient had complete recovery of symptoms after the treatment. CONCLUSION: Delayed visceral injury with anterior spine surgeries is rare. Early diagnosis is possible with a high degree of suspicion. Meticulous surgical techniques may avoid this complication.
STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To report a rare complication of anterior spine surgery and instrumentation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation are now frequently used for the treatment of a variety of complex spinal disorders. Several authors have discussed the complications of such procedures. Late perforation of large bowel along with erosion of major vessel after anterior spinal instrumentation is a rare occurrence. METHODS: We present a case of 53-year-old woman who presented with unusual abdominal pain and bleeding of the rectum. She had undergone spine surgery for L5 burst fracture 5 years ago. A detailed evaluation showed perforation of rectosigmoid colon and erosion of left common iliac artery by the anterior spine implants. RESULTS: The bowel was repaired and arterial reconstruction was done along with spine implant removal. The patient had complete recovery of symptoms after the treatment. CONCLUSION: Delayed visceral injury with anterior spine surgeries is rare. Early diagnosis is possible with a high degree of suspicion. Meticulous surgical techniques may avoid this complication.
Authors: Emre Yilmaz; Joe Iwanaga; Marc Moisi; Ronen Blecher; Amir Abdul-Jabbar; Tamir Tawfik; Rod J Oskouian; R Shane Tubbs Journal: Cureus Date: 2018-01-29