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Delayed Upper Aerodigestive Tract Perforation from Anterior Cervical Spine Hardware: Treatment and Swallowing Outcomes

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Abstract

Delayed upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) perforation is a rare complication of anterior cervical spinal hardware. The purpose of this study was to investigate swallowing outcomes between treatment approaches for delayed UADT perforation. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients with anterior cervical hardware and delayed UADT perforation who were treated at a single tertiary care center between 2000 and 2020. Of the twelve patients identified, most patients presented with dysphagia (n = 9, 75%) and/or neck pain (n = 7, 58%). Perforations generally occurred at the level of C6 (n = 6, 50%) and C7 (n = 4, 33%) and spanned only one spinal level (n = 8, 67%). The majority (n = 8, 67%) of patients were past or current cigarette users. Operative approaches included primary repair (n = 5, 42%) and rotational flap (n = 4, 33%); the rotational flap harvest sites included supraclavicular fasciocutaneous (n = 2), infrahyoid muscle (n = 1), and sternocleidomastoid muscle (n = 1). While most patients demonstrated penetration and/or aspiration on first post-operative swallow study (n = 6), this resolved completely within a median time of 31 days. There were no differences in swallowing outcomes between repair approaches. Patient smoking history appears to be a clear risk factor for the development of delayed UADT perforation from anterior cervical spine hardware. A variety of techniques can be used to repair these perforations, and there were no differences in swallowing outcomes between repair approaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Hannah G. Kay

  2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Benjamin Campbell, Jean-Nicolas Gallant & Sarah L. Rohde

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Catherine Carlile & Byron Stephens

  4. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Patty Wright

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  1. Hannah G. Kay
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  2. Benjamin Campbell
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Correspondence to Sarah L. Rohde.

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Kay, H.G., Campbell, B., Gallant, JN. et al. Delayed Upper Aerodigestive Tract Perforation from Anterior Cervical Spine Hardware: Treatment and Swallowing Outcomes. Dysphagia 37, 988–994 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10361-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10361-w

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