A new study digging into the results of the Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative published details about 90-day adverse events after cervical spinal surgery in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
Study authors examined data from 8,236 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery. After 90 days, here are the top 10 most frequent complications:
1. Radicular findings: 11.6 percent
2. Readmissions: 7.7 percent
3. Dysphagia requiring dietary modification: 6.4 percent
4. Urinary retention: 4.7 percent
5. Urinary tract infection: 2.2 percent
6. Surgical site hematoma: 1.1 percent
7. Surgical site infection: 0.9 percent
8. Deep vein thrombosis: 0.7 percent
9. Pulmonary embolism: 0.5 percent
10. Neurogenic bowel/bladder: 0.4 percent
"The authors found that early mobilization after cervical spine surgery has the potential to significantly decrease adverse events," according to the study's conclusion.