Background:
Paraplegia following thoracic spinal surgery or abdominal operations is usually attributed to spinal cord ischemia due to interruption of the segmental spinal vascular supply. Alternatively, the etiology of spinal cord ischemia following cervical surgery is less clear.
Case description:
A 14-year-old male became acutely tetraplegic with a C4 sensory level and sphincteric dysfunction 12 h following surgery for tracheal stenosis due to prior intubation. Signs included loss of pain and temperature below the level of C4 with preservation of deep sensations (position and vibration) and mute plantar responses. The cervical magnetic resonance imaging revealed diffuse intramedullary cord swelling between C2-C7 and hyperintense signal changes in the anterior and posterior columns of the cord on T2-weighted images. Various etiologies for this finding included a cervical hyperextension or hyperflexion injury vs. anterior spinal artery syndrome.
Conclusions:
Postoperative treatment of spinal cord ischemia attributed to cervical and thoracoabdominal surgery is largely ineffective in reversing major neurological deficits. Therefore, it is critical to prevent ischemia during these procedures by the avoidance of coagulopathies, anemia, hypotension, and hyperflexion/hyperextension maneuvers.