Mode establishment and preliminary clinical application of anterior cervical surgery in outpatient setting / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To establish the mode of anterior cervical surgery in outpatient setting, and evaluate its preliminary effectiveness.@*METHODS@#A clinical data of patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery between January 2022 and September 2022 and met the selection criteria was retrospectively analyzed. The surgeries were performed in outpatient setting ( n=35, outpatient setting group) or in inpatient setting ( n=35, inpatient setting group). There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05) in age, gender, body mass index, smoking, history of alcohol drinking, disease type, the number of surgical levels, operation mode, as well as preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, visual analogue scale score of neck pain (VAS-neck), and visual analogue scale score of upper limb pain (VAS-arm). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, total hospital stay, postoperative hospital stay, and hospital expenses of the two groups were recorded; JOA score, VAS-neck score, and VAS-arm score were recorded before and immediately after operation, and the differences of the above indexes between pre- and post-operation were calculated. Before discharge, the patient was asked to score satisfaction with a score of 1-10.@*RESULTS@#The total hospital stay, postoperative hospital stay, and hospital expenses were significantly lower in the outpatient setting group than in the inpatient setting group ( P<0.05). The satisfaction of patients was significantly higher in the outpatient setting group than in the inpatient setting group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in operation time and intraoperative blood loss ( P>0.05). The JOA score, VAS-neck score, and VAS-arm score of the two groups significantly improved at immediate after operation when compared with those before operation ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the improvement of the above scores between the two groups ( P>0.05). The patients were followed up (6.67±1.04) months in the outpatient setting group and (5.95±1.90) months in the inpatient setting group, with no significant difference ( t=0.089, P=0.929). No surgical complications, such as delayed hematoma, delayed infection, delayed neurological damage, and esophageal fistula, occurred in the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#The safety and efficiency of anterior cervical surgery performed in outpatient setting were comparable to that performed in inpatient setting. Outpatient surgery mode can significantly shorten the postoperative hospital stay, reduce hospital expenses, and improve the patients' medical experience. The key points of the outpatient mode of anterior cervical surgery are minimizing damage, complete hemostasis, no drainage placement, and fine perioperative management.

The Efficacy of Carotid Tubercle as an Anatomical Landmark for Identification of Cervical Spinal Level in the Anterior Cervical Surgery: Comparison with Preoperative C-arm Fluoroscopy

BACKGROUND: In cervical anterior approach, transverse skin incision is preferred due to cosmetic reasons. Precise skin incision is required to reach the surgery segment while minimizing soft tissue injury. Skin incision site is frequently identified using C-arm fluoroscopy or the carotid tubercle. Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of skin incision using the carotid tubercle as a marker. METHODS: This study was retrospectively conducted on 114 patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery by the same surgeon from April 2004 to June 2012. The rate of the appropriate insertion of K-wire, which was inserted into the disc after anterior approach, into the surgery segment was compared between 62 patients where skin incision site was identified using C-arm fluoroscopy before skin incision and 52 patients where skin incision site was identified using carotid tubercle palpitation before surgery. RESULTS: The needle was shown to have been inserted into the planned site in 106 patients out of the total 114 patients. The appropriate insertion of the needle was shown in 59 patients of group I (95.2%) and in 47 patients of group II (90.4%). Although the success rate was higher in group I than group II, it was statistically insignificant. The success rate of one-segment surgery was shown to be 89.7% in group I and 82.6% in group II. Although the success rate was higher in group I than group II, it was statistically insignificant. The success rate of two-segment surgery was shown to be 100% in group I, and 96.4% in group II due to one case of the failure at C3-4 and C5-6. The success rate of three- and four-segment surgeries was shown to be 100% in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of skin incision site via carotid tubercle palpation was useful for surgeries involving two or more segments. Furthermore, it could be useful for one-segment surgery if surgical site is identified using vertebral body or soft tissues such as longus collis rather than insertion into the disc.

Delayed Esophageal Perforation after Cervical Spine Plating

Although anterior approaches to the cervical spine are popular and safe, they cause some of complications. Esophageal perforation after anterior spinal fusion is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. We present a rare case of delayed esophageal perforation caused by a cervical screw placed via the anterior approach. A 43-year-old man, who had undergone surgery for complete cord injury at another orthopedic department 8 years previously, was admitted to our institute due to painful neck swelling and dysphagia. Radiological studies revealed a protruding screw and esophageal perforation. The perforation was found during surgery and was successfully repaired. This case emphasizes the need for careful long-term follow-up to check for delayed esophageal perforation in patients that have undergone anterior cervical spine plating.

Anatomical Morphometric Study of the Cervical Uncinate Process and Surrounding Structures

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the anatomic relationships between the uncinate process and surrounding neurovascular structures to prevent possible complications in anterior cervical surgery. METHODS: Twenty-eight formalin-fixed cervical spines were removed from adult cadavers and were studied. The authors investigated the morphometric relationships between the uncinate process, vertebral artery and adjacent nerve roots. RESULTS: The height of the uncinate process was 5.6-7.5 mm and the width was 5.8-8.0 mm. The angle between the posterior tip of the uncinate process and vertebral artery was 32.2-42.4degrees. The distance from the upper tip of the uncinate process to the vertebral body immediately above was 2.1-3.3 mm, and this distance was narrowest at the fifth cervical vertebrae. The distance from the posterior tip of the uncinate process to the nerve root was 1.3-2.0 mm. The distance from the uncinate process to the vertebral artery was measured at three different points of the uncinate process : upper-posterior tip, lateral wall and the most antero-medial point of the uncinate process, and the distances were 3.6-6.1 mm, 1.7-2.8 mm, and 4.2-5.7 mm, respectively. The distance from the uncinate process tip to the vertebral artery and the angle between the uncinate process tip and vertebral artery were significantly different between the right and left side. CONCLUSION: These data provide guidelines for anterior cervical surgery, and will aid in reducing neurovascular injury during anterior cervical surgery, especially in anterior microforaminotomy.

Hypopharyngeal Wall Exposure within the Surgical Field : The Role of Axial Rotation of the Thyroid Cartilage during Anterior Cervical Surgery

OBJECTIVE: Esophageal/hypopharyngeal injury can be a disastrous complication of anterior cervical surgery. The amount of hypopharyngeal wall exposure within the surgical field has not been studied. The objective of this study is to evaluate the chance of hypopharyngeal wall exposure by measuring the amount of axial rotation of the thyroid cartilage (ARTC) and posterior projection of the hypopharynx (PPH). METHODS: The study was prospectively designed using intraoperative ultrasonography. We measured the amount of ARTC in 27 cases. The amount of posterior projection of the hypopharynx (PPH) also was measured on pre-operative CT and compared at three different levels; the superior border of the thyroid cartilage (SBTC), cricoarytenoid joint and tip of inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage (TIHTC). The presence of air density was also checked on the same levels. RESULTS: The angle of ARTC ranged from -6.9degrees to 29.7degrees, with no statistical difference between the upper and lower cervical group. The amount of PPH was increased caudally. Air densities were observed in 26 cases at the SBTC, but none at the TIHTC. CONCLUSION: Within the confines of the thyroid cartilage, surgeons are required to pay more attention to the status of hypopharynx/esophagus near the inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage. The hypopharynx/esophagus at the TIHTC is more likely to be exposed than at the upper and middle part of the thyroid cartilage, which may increase the risk of injury by pressure. Surgeons should be aware of the fact that the visceral component at C6-T1 surgeries also rotates as much as when the thyroid cartilage is engaged with a retractor. The esophagus at lower cervical levels warrants more careful retraction because it is not protected by the thyroid cartilage.

An Unexpected Huge Hematoma after Iliac Artery Injury as a Rare Complication at an Anterior Iliac Bone Graft Donor Site: A Case Report

Even through there are many reported complications of the iliac bone donor site during anterior cervical spine surgery, vascular injuries are very rare, especially deep circumflex iliac artery(DCIA) injury encountered after harvesting of a bone graft. A 68-year-old female was presented with neck pain and recent progressive weakness due to dislocation and instability of C5/6 with cord compression. Corpectomy and inter-body fusion from C5 to 7 was done without any definite perioperative complications including the iliac donor site. On the 2nd post-operative day, a huge hematoma and active bleeding at the retroperitoneal site was found by computed tomography and angiography revealed bleeding from DCIA. The authors report a case of massive bleeding due to DCIA injury that was difficult to control and managed by selective arterial embolization.

Esophageal Injury Following Anterior Cervical Plate Fixation

We report five patients of esophageal injuries confirmed by clinical signs and radiological evidences. They include a partial tear and a perforation which were not noticed during the operation, a perforation which was primarily repaired during the operation, and two perforations which occurred during the reoperations for the removal of mal-positioned screws or plate. The partial tear was not repaired. The perforation which occurred during the operation was primarily sutured and didn't receive further treatment. Two perforations which occurred during the reoperations were treated by irrigation, debridement with surgical drainage, and systemic antiobiotics. One who was diagnosed later after the operation showed the poorest outcome and required longest hospital days among our series. Early detection and appropriate treatment of esophageal injury following anterior spinal surgery can only improve the prognosis by preventing secondary complications.

Clinical Evaluation of Salvage Surgery for Patients with Failed Anterior Cervical Surgery

Although anterior cervical fusion provides an excellent choice for variable cervical pathologic conditions. However the potential risk of complications involved with its use have been the reason for its being less then universally accepted. The authors experienced 10 cases(5.8%) of failed anterior cervical surgery among the total of 171 during the past 5 years. The patients in our series averaged 52.9 years of age(range 26-75), consisted of 9 men and 1 woman. The clinical presentations were nuchal pain(80%), radiculopathy(50%), myelopathy(10%) and dysphagia (10%). The causes of failed anterior cervical surgery included 6 hardware failures and 4 graft failures. Salvage procedures included 9 anterior approach and 1 posterior approach. The mean follow up period was 15 months. All patients had achieved solid bony fusion in addition to marked symtomatic improvements of 70%(in 7 cases). The results of our study indicates that in order to reduce the need for salvage operations, accurate diagnosis, skillful surgical techniques are necessary.