OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and potential risk factors associated with postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) following anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent ACSS for cervical spondylosis at Peking University Third Hospital between March 2013 and February 2022. Patients who developed postoperative SEH were categorized as the SEH group, while those in the cohort without SEH were randomly selected as the non-SEH group by individually matching with the same operator, same gender, same surgery year, and similar age (±5 years) at a ratio of 4 ∶ 1. The general condition, preoperative comorbidities, anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy, preoperative coagulation and platelet counts, American society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, cervical spondylosis classification, preoperative modified Japanese Orthopaedic Society score and cervical disability index score, surgical modality, surgical segment levels, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament among the surgical level, surgery duration, estimated blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, preoperative mean arterial pressure, mean arterial pressure during postoperative awakening periods, hospital stay and hospitalization cost were compared between the two groups. A bivariate Logistic regression model was applied to screen out the independent risk factors and calculate the odds ratios of indicators associated with SEH. Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to describe the discrimination ability of the indicators. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients were enrolled in the study, including 17 patients in the SEH group and 68 patients in the non-SEH group. Seventeen patients with SEH underwent hematoma evacuation, and all of them were successfully treated and discharged from the hospital. Corpectomy (OR=7.247; 95%CI: 1.962-26.766; P=0.003) and the highest mean arterial pressure during awakening (OR=1.056; 95%CI: 1.002-1.113; P=0.043) were independent risk factors for SEH. The AUC values were 0.713 (95%CI: 0.578-0.848) and 0.665 (95%CI: 0.51-0.82) respectively. The patients with SEH had longer hospital stays (P < 0.001) and greater hospitalization costs (P=0.035). CONCLUSION Corpectomy and elevated maximum mean arterial pressure during awakening are independent risk factors for the development of postoperative SEH following ACSS. High-risk patients should be closely monitored during the perioperative period.
Humans ; Risk Factors ; Cervical Vertebrae/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Male ; Female ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Spondylosis/surgery* ; Logistic Models ; Length of Stay ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Epidural hematoma is a rare but serious complication. According to previous studies, it is not prevented by suction drains. This study evaluated the following alternative hypothesis: the larger the diameter of a suction drain, the less the remaining epidural hematoma after spinal surgery. METHODS: This was a randomized prospective study. Patients who underwent posterior lumbar decompression and instrumented fusion were divided into two groups: the large drain (LD, 2.8-mm-diameter tube) and small drain (SD, 1.6-mm-diameter tube) groups according to the diameter of the suction drains. All patients were consecutive and allocated alternately according to the date of operations. Suction drains were removed on day 3 and magnetic resonance imaging was performed on day 7 postoperatively. The size of remaining hematomas was measured by the degree of thecal sac compression in cross section using the following 4-point numeric scale: G1, less than one quarter; G2, between one quarter and half; G3, more than half; and G4, more than subtotal obstruction. RESULTS: There were 39 patients with LDs and 38 with SDs. They did not differ significantly in terms of sex, number of fusion segments, revision or not, antiplatelet medication, intraoperative injection of tranexamic acid. However, patient age differed significantly between the two groups (LD, 63.3 years and < SD, 68.6 years; p = 0.007). The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, platelet number, blood loss, or operation duration. However, platelet function analysis exhibited a significant difference (LD, 164.7 seconds and < SD, 222.3 seconds; p = 0.002). The two blinded readers showed high consistency (Kappa value = 0.740; p = 0.000). The results of reader 1 were as follows: LD and SD had 21 and 21 cases of G1, 9 and 11 cases of G2, 6 and 6 cases of G3, and 3 and 0 cases of G4, respectively. The results of reader 2 were as follows: LD and SD had 22 and 23 cases of G1, 7 and 9 cases of G2, 7 and 6 cases of G3, and 3 and 0 cases of G4, respectively. There was no difference between the two groups (reader 1, p = 0.636; reader 2, p = 0.466). CONCLUSIONS: The alternative hypothesis was rejected. Therefore, postoperative spinal epidural hematoma would not be prevented by LD.
Aged ; Equipment Design ; Female ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/epidemiology/*prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology/*prevention & control ; Prospective Studies ; Spine/surgery ; Suction/adverse effects/*instrumentation/*statistics & numerical data

We report a series of epidural hematomas which cause neurologic deterioration after spinal surgery, and have taken risk factors and prognostic factors into consideration. We retrospectively reviewed the database of 3720 cases of spine operation in a single institute over 7 years (1998 April-2005 July). Nine patients who demonstrated neurologic deterioration after surgery and required surgical decompression were identified. Factors postulated to increase the postoperative epidural hematoma and to improve neurologic outcome were investigated. The incidence of postoperative epidural hematoma was 0.24%. Operation sites were cervical 3 cases, thoracic 2 cases, and lumbar 4 cases. Their original diagnoses were tumor 3 cases, cervical stenosis 2 cases, lumbar stenosis 3 cases and herniated lumbar disc 1case. The symptoms of epidural hematomas were neurologic deterioration and pain. After decompression, clinical outcome revealed complete recovery in 3 cases (33.3%), incomplete recovery in 5 cases (55.6%) and no change in 1 case (11.1%). Factors increasing the risk of postoperative epidural hematoma were coagulopathy from medical illness or anticoagulation therapy (4 cases, 44.4%) and highly vascularized tumor (3 cases, 33.3%). The time interval to evacuation of complete recovery group (29.3 hours) was shorter than incomplete recovery group (66.3 hours). Patients with coagulopathy and highly vascularized tumor were more vulnerable to spinal epidural hematoma. The postoperative outcome was related to the preoperative neurological deficit and the time interval to the decompression.
Treatment Outcome ; Spinal Diseases/*surgery ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/diagnosis/*epidemiology/*etiology ; Female ; Aged ; Adult

We report a series of epidural hematomas which cause neurologic deterioration after spinal surgery, and have taken risk factors and prognostic factors into consideration. We retrospectively reviewed the database of 3720 cases of spine operation in a single institute over 7 years (1998 April-2005 July). Nine patients who demonstrated neurologic deterioration after surgery and required surgical decompression were identified. Factors postulated to increase the postoperative epidural hematoma and to improve neurologic outcome were investigated. The incidence of postoperative epidural hematoma was 0.24%. Operation sites were cervical 3 cases, thoracic 2 cases, and lumbar 4 cases. Their original diagnoses were tumor 3 cases, cervical stenosis 2 cases, lumbar stenosis 3 cases and herniated lumbar disc 1case. The symptoms of epidural hematomas were neurologic deterioration and pain. After decompression, clinical outcome revealed complete recovery in 3 cases (33.3%), incomplete recovery in 5 cases (55.6%) and no change in 1 case (11.1%). Factors increasing the risk of postoperative epidural hematoma were coagulopathy from medical illness or anticoagulation therapy (4 cases, 44.4%) and highly vascularized tumor (3 cases, 33.3%). The time interval to evacuation of complete recovery group (29.3 hours) was shorter than incomplete recovery group (66.3 hours). Patients with coagulopathy and highly vascularized tumor were more vulnerable to spinal epidural hematoma. The postoperative outcome was related to the preoperative neurological deficit and the time interval to the decompression.
Treatment Outcome ; Spinal Diseases/*surgery ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/diagnosis/*epidemiology/*etiology ; Female ; Aged ; Adult