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Postoperative Complications and Spinal Metastases

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Central Nervous System Metastases

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Abstract

The spine is the most common site for skeletal metastasis. As improved treatment for primary cancer affords longer life expectancy, the incidence of spinal metastasis is increasing. Patients generally present with neck or back pain with or without neurological symptoms such as radicular pain, numbness, weakness, or myelopathy. Surgical treatment is palliative and is often used in conjunction with radiation and/or chemotherapy. The goals of surgery include mechanical stabilization, decompression of the neural elements, and optimization of the radiation target. The number of metastatic tumor patients undergoing surgery is growing. In spite of increased rates of surgical treatment, improved hardware and refined technique, the rate of surgery-related complications remains high. The most common complications are dural injury, wound infection and dehiscence, and hardware failure. The extent and severity of these complications can be mitigated by preoperative risk assessment with appropriate goal identification, intraoperative technique, and early recognition of postoperative deterioration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Bushra Yasin & Michael S. Virk

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  1. Bushra Yasin
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  2. Michael S. Virk
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Correspondence to Bushra Yasin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, Director - Brain Metastases Program, New York, NY, USA

    Rohan Ramakrishna

  2. Department of Neurology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Rajiv S. Magge

  3. Department of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Ali A. Baaj

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Jonathan P.S. Knisely

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Yasin, B., Virk, M.S. (2020). Postoperative Complications and Spinal Metastases. In: Ramakrishna, R., Magge, R., Baaj, A., Knisely, J. (eds) Central Nervous System Metastases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42958-4_45

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42958-4_45

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-42958-4

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