Neurologic Injury in the Surgical Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis: Guidelines for Assessment and Management

Joshua M. Pahys, MD, James T. Guille, MD, Linda P. D’Andrea, MD, Amer F. Samdani, MD, Joshua Beck, MD and Randal R. Betz, MD J Am Acad Orthop Surg, Vol 17, No 7, July 2009,

Iatrogenic spinal cord injury resulting from surgical treatment of spinal deformity is a relatively uncommon but devastating complication. Publications on the prevalence of spinal cord injury following surgery are numerous, but no definitive review with clinically pertinent treatment guidelines exists. Methods to reduce the risk of neurologic complications with scoliosis surgery include adequate patient evaluation and preoperative planning, intraoperative preparation, intraoperative neuromonitoring, and postoperative management. Treatment algorithms may be useful in the clinical setting to manage intraoperative or postoperative neurologic injury.