Cervical spine surgery: Complications and considerations

Surgery is a successful treatment option for traumatic or degenerative mechanical pathologies of the cervical spine. These surgeries can be performed from either an anterior or posterior approach. Each approach has its own indications and associated potential complication profile. The anterior approach is the work horse of degenerative spinal pathologies but is associated with unique proximity related visceral complications like dysphagia, dysphonia, esophageal or oropharyngeal injury, and sympathetic chain injuries. The posterior approach to the cervical spine has fewer indications relative to the anterior approach but again has its own unique complication profile including C5 palsies and epidural hematomas.