The cervical spine is composed of seven small bones, called vertebra, which stack atop one another along the neck. Patients who develop persistent neck pain may experience symptom relief after undergoing cervical spinal cord fusion. During this surgical procedure, a surgeon attaches, or fuses, two or more vertebra within the neck using a bone graft, which helps alleviate pressure on the nerves that run along the spinal column. Before choosing this form of treatment, patients should talk with their doctors about potential cervical spinal cord fusion complications.
Nerve Damage
A surgeon can inadvertently damage the nerves within the cervical spine during this procedure, eSpine reports. If this occurs, patients can experience complications of numbness, tingling or paralysis that localize to regions of the body beneath the site of nerve injury. Paralysis occurs when a patient is unable to voluntarily move certain regions of the body such as the legs or arms. Mild nerve damage or inflammation typically resolves as the nerves heal after surgery. More extensive nerve damage, such as severing a cervical spine nerve, can result in permanent paralysis complications in affected patients.
Difficulty Swallowing or Hoarseness
Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which connects with the vocal cords in the throat, can cause vocal hoarseness or difficulty swallowing in certain patients. Though this complication is typically temporary, it can take several months for side effects to resolve after surgery. Persistent vocal hoarseness or difficulty swallowing is rare and affects approximately 1 in every 250 patients, according to the Mayfield Clinic. Swallowing or vocal complications that do not resolve may require patients to undergo additional medical evaluation or treatment.
Movement of the Bone Graft
In approximately 1 to 2 percent of patients, the implanted bone graft moves or migrates out of its proper position between the fused cervical vertebrae, the Mayfield Clinic reports. This complication of cervical spinal cord fusion typically requires patients to undergo additional surgery to replace the bone graft.
Chronic Pain
Cervical spinal cord fusion does not guarantee that patients will experience relief of painful neck symptoms. Chronic pain complications following cervical spinal cord fusion surgery may even be more severe than symptoms experienced prior to surgery, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns.
Hardware or Fusion Problems
Typically, metal plates or screws, called hardware, are attached to the cervical vertebrae to help stabilize the fused spinal bones. In certain cases, these pieces of hardware can become damaged or may crack or break before the attached cervical vertebrae fully fuse, the Mayfield Clinic explains. Hardware complications following cervical spinal cord fusion typically necessitate additional surgery to repair or replace the damaged hardware. Additionally, the connected cervical vertebrae may fail to fuse together, which can contribute to chronic neck pain symptoms. Fusion complications after surgery occur more commonly among patients who are obese, smoke cigarettes or have osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease.
