• Timothy Chung, Christopher Thien, and Yi Yuen Wang.
• *Department of Neurosurgery, St Vincent's Hospital, Victoria, Australia; and †Department of Surgery, the University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
• Spine. 2014 Feb 1;39(3):E228-30.

Study DesignA case report.ObjectiveTo present a patient who underwent a minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion who postoperatively developed paraplegia as a rare complication of a Kirschner wire (K-wire).Summary Of Background DataThe few complications of K-wires that have been reported include, dural tears and damage to intra-abdominal structures.MethodsA case report of a rare complication of a K-wire is reported and the relevant literature was then reviewed.ResultsAn 85-year-old female with an anterolisthesis at L4-L5 underwent a minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Postoperatively she developed paraplegia. A subdural hematoma from T12 to the sacrum was found and evacuated. It is proposed that this rare complication is a result of a K-wire.ConclusionCare must be taken with the use of K-wires and additional measures should be carried out such as the marking of its position and radiological confirmation of depth.Level Of Evidence5.

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