“Posterior laminectomy and fusion ”
I received a surgery called posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion on the 3rd of April. After the surgery, I suffered from c5 palsy in my right arm. On the 6th of April I was sent back to surgery for an anterior (front of the neck) procedure to widen the space in my C5 nerve root canal in order to fix the C5 palsy but the procedure didn't work. Due to the fact that C5 palsy is usually fixed or remedied through physical therapy, am I correct in thinking that the anterior surgery was unnecessary?
Male | 47 years old
5 Answers
C5 palsy following posterior laminectomy is not a common but not a rare complication. The C5 root is highly sensitive to manipulation, and just decompressing the root may lead to the sudden change. It is a distressing issue for the patient and the surgeon, but in my experience it typically improves with time and PT. It may take 4-8 months to recover. I cannot really comment on the necessity for anterior surgery without seeing the films prior to that decision. iPhone X transmission
Hello, Unfortunately, without seeing your imaging I am unable to answer your question fully as this can be very complex depending on what was causing the C5 palsy. I would suggest getting another opinion from a spine surgeon in your area. Hope this helps! Be well, Aleka Scoco MD
Hello
C5 palsy can occur after posterior approach and almost always resolves on its own in 6 weeks. Oral medrol dose pak steroids can be tried. Unlikely anterior approach needed but I have not seen your films to know for sure
C5 palsy can occur after posterior approach and almost always resolves on its own in 6 weeks. Oral medrol dose pak steroids can be tried. Unlikely anterior approach needed but I have not seen your films to know for sure
Dr. Juan Torres-Reveron
Neurosurgeon
Unfortunately you are correct. In most cases a C5 palsy resolves within a couple of weeks and we think it is due to the stretching of the C5 nerve root as the cord moves back after laminectomy. Sometimes I do foraminotomies at the same time the posterior decompression is done but that does not asure that a C5 palsy will not occur. I think this deserves a discussion with your surgeon as to whether there was a structural problem and whether that was the reason for the anterior approach.
It wasn’t completely unnecessary. The intention was to fully decompress your nerve not in front and in back. I would not expect immediate recovery of the C5 palsy from the anterior surgery, but it may speed up your recovery with physical therapy.
