Cervical wound dehiscence following internal fixation of the cervical and thoracic spine: a report of three cases.

BACKGROUND: Wound dehiscence is a known postoperative complication, but in cervical spine surgery it is rare and there is a lack of documented literature. This case report discusses novel complications of wound dehiscence in three patients who were treated with spinous process ostectomies after posterior cervical surgeries.

CASE DESCRIPTION: In total three cases are reported in these reports. Case one documents the management of a patient with full-thickness cervical wound dehiscence following a cervical paraspinal infection corrected with posterior spinal fixation and fusion. This patient was treated with resection of the prominent spinous processes. Case two documents the management of a patient with an odontoid fracture requiring revision surgery. The patient developed a full-thickness wound dehiscence and was treated with resection of the prominent spinous processes. Case three was a patient suffering from a T9 spinal cord injury who was also treated for multiple vertebral fractures. The patient eventually developed internal cervical wound dehiscence which resulted in removal of the prominent spinous processes.

CONCLUSIONS: This case report documents the successful treatment of cervical wound dehiscence which is a rare postoperative complication of cervical spinal surgery. This information is valuable as treatment strategies and research into cervical wound dehiscence are limited to a single case report.