Intraoperative Complications During Surgery on the Posterior Cervical Spine

Intraoperative complications during posterior spinal surgery are best avoided by awareness of which complications are possible during each portion of the surgery. Neurologic injury, vascular injury, and mechanical instability are the major complications that occur during the posterior cervical surgery. The relevance of positioning, tissue resection, instrumentation, and wound closure to each complication is considered. Preoperative planning, understanding each patient's anatomy, optimization in surgical positioning, and use of appropriate surgical tools form the basis for avoiding these complications. Early recognition intraoperatively, using neurologic monitoring and awareness of changes to the anatomical structures, is essential in salvaging the best chance for a successful outcome.