Key result
Anterior spinal instrumentation of the thoracic vertebra can result in a serious complication where a fixation screw penetrates the thoracic aorta.
Anterior spinal instrumentation carries the risk of severe vascular complications, including penetration of the thoracic aorta by a screw.
Raises awareness of aortic penetration risk during anterior thoracic spine fixation; single case leaves open true incidence and prevention strategies.
With recent advances in spine surgery, spinal instrumentation has allowed the introduction of varied new devices and techniques, expanding its potentials. Yet this has also led to the incidence of unexpected complications. The current article reports on a serious case the authors recently experienced, in which a screw used for the instrumentation of the thoracic vertebra penetrated the aorta.
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Matsuzaki et al. (1993) studied this question. Anterior spinal instrumentation of the thoracic vertebra can result in a serious complication where a fixation screw penetrates the thoracic aorta.
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