Surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: Complications

Omar A Al-Mohrej; Sahar S Aldakhil; Mohammed A Al-Rabiah; Anwar M Al-Rabiah

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2020.02.004

Surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: Complications

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2020 Feb 24:52:19-23. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.02.004. eCollection 2020 Apr.

Authors

Omar A Al-Mohrej¹, Sahar S Aldakhil², Mohammed A Al-Rabiah³, Anwar M Al-Rabiah¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Despite the fact that spinal surgeries for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) result in good outcomes for most patients, they are not without complications either medically or surgically. Neurologic injury represents the most severe complication and is, as such, the most feared. Further complications include dural tears, peripheral neuropathy, surgical-site infections, implant-related issues, thromboembolic events, visual loss, pseudarthrosis, Crankshaft phenomenon, flatback phenomenon, proximal junctional kyphosis, and mortality. It is vital that all spine surgeons to be fully conversant with the possible complications and the proper responses for each of them.

Keywords: AIS, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; Complications; DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; Fusion; Idiopathic; NIS, National Inpatient Sample; PJK, proximal junctional kyphosis; POVL, perio-perative visual loss; SSI, surgical site infection; Scoliosis; Spine; VTE, venous thromboembolism.

Publication types

Review