Article

A diagnosis of esophageal perforation at some time after cervical spine surgery
is difficult to establish since there exists no clinical picture specific to
tetraplegic patients. We carried out a detailed retrospective study of revelatory
clinical manifestations and conventional radiographic data in a series of 16
patients hospitalized at Hopital Henry-Gabrielle (Lyon, France) for
rehabilitation purposes between 1983 and 2010 and who presented this
complication. The most frequent clinical picture associates cervical pain, fever
and dysphagia. Simple front and side X-rays of the cervical spine led in 77% of
the cases to a diagnosis of esophageal perforation. The most prevalent
radiographic signs of the latter consist in osteosynthesis hardware or
instrumentation failure, prevertebral free air next to the cervical esophagus and
enlarged prevertebral space. Visualized esophageal X-rays, also known as series,
highlight parenchymal opacity next to the posterior wall of the esophagus. A
diagnosis of esophageal perforation needs to be carried out in order to
facilitate suitable treatment and avoid the compromising of vital functions.
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Langue : ANGLAIS