Transection of the Spinal Cord Following Anterior Cervical Stab Injury: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Stab wounds to the neck with transection of the cervical spinal cord and complete paraplegia in combination with penetrating injury to the trachea and esophagus are extremely uncommon, and optimal treatment remains unclear. We report an unusual case of stab wound of the anterior neck with a penetrating injury to the trachea and esophagus and transection of the spinal cord at the C7-T1 level. Tracheoplasty and esophageal primary suture were performed by the thoracic surgeons. We regularly followed up the patient with the cervical spinal lesion, because there was neither definite mechanical spinal instability nor CSF leakage. Moreover, there was a possibility of the aggravation of mediastinitis. The postoperative course of the patient was uneventful without a CSF leak or a wound infection. Nineteen months after the operation, the patient had no complain of nuchal pain or the limitation of motion of the neck. There was no definite cervical instability. However, no neurological improvement has been reported either.