• R I Apfelbaum, M D Kriskovich, and J R Haller.
• Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA. ronald.apfelbaum@hsc.utah.edu
• Spine. 2000 Nov 15; 25 (22): 2906-12.

Study DesignA retrospective review of contemporaneously acquired clinical data supplemented by experimental cadaver dissection.ObjectiveTo establish the incidence and mechanism of vocal cord paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery and to determine whether controlling for endotracheal tube (ET)-laryngeal wall interactions induced by the cervical retraction system could decrease the rate of paralysis.Summary Of Background DataVocal cord paralysis is the most common otolaryngologic complication after anterior cervical spine surgery. However, the quoted frequency of this varies considerably, and the cause of the injury is not clearly defined. As a result, various, and at times contradictory, recommendations to prevent this are presented without data to support their effectiveness.MethodsData gathered at the time of surgery and during follow-up visits on 900 consecutive patients who underwent anterior cervical spine surgery with plating during a 12-year interval were entered into a computerized database and reviewed for complications and procedural risk factors. After the first 250 cases an intervention consisting of monitoring ET cuff pressure and release of pressure after retractor replacement or repositioning was used, which allowed the ET to recenter within the larynx. The ET-laryngeal wall relation also was studied in fresh intubated cadavers using videofluoroscopic images, before and after retractor placement.ResultsThirty incidences of vocal cord paralysis consistent with recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury were identified: 27 temporary and 3 permanent. The rate of temporary paralysis decreased from 6.4% to 1.69% (P = 0.0002) after institution of the described maneuver. The findings confirmed that the retractor displaced the larynx against the shaft of the ET, allowing impingement on the vulnerable intralaryngeal segment of the RLN.ConclusionsThe most common cause of vocal cord paralysis after anterior cervical spine surgery is compression of the RLN within the endolarynx. Monitoring of ET cuff pressure and release after retractor placement may prevent injury to the RLN during anterior cervical spine surgery.

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