Hemothorax as a complication after anterior cervical discectomy: case report.

Harhangi, B Sanjay; Menovsky, Tomas; Wurzer, Hans A L · Neurosurgery · 2005

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

Anterior cervical discectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures of the cervical spine. We describe a patient with a postoperative hemothorax as a complication after an anterior cervical discectomy. The patient was intubated, and reoperation and bronchoscopy were performed. To the best of our knowledge, such a complication has not been described before in the English-language literature. We conclude that hemothorax is a rare, although serious, complication after anterior cervical discectomy and should be included in the differential diagnosis for patients with respiratory failure after an anterior cervical discectomy.

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