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Wound Infection
Seroma and Epidural Scar
Epidural Hematoma - CT
Epidural Hematoma - MRI
Instability
Graft Reabsorption
Endplate Fracture
Graft Collapse
Nonunion
Displaced Strut Graft
Broken Screw
Screw in Spinal Canal
Slipped rod
Screw in Disc space
Screw Loosening & Hematoma
Screw Backing Out
Screw Loosening

Broken Screw

72 y.o. male who had a six month history of painless myelopathic symptoms including difficulty with fine motor movements of the hands and increasing difficulty with gait. He was found on MRI to have severe cervical myelopathy with signal changes in his spinal cord. The majority of the compression took place at the C3-4 disk level as well as the C4 and C5 vertebral bodies. The patient underwent C4 and C5 anterior vertebrectomy, C3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 anterior discectomies and decompression, c3-6 anterior fusion with autogenous iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) strut graft with anterior plate fixation.

	Lateral radiograph taken three weeks post-operatively shows the anterior fusion C3-C6 with no hardware complications. The strut graft appears intact and well seated and the spine is in normal anatomic alignment
	Lateral radiograph now 10 weeks post-operatively demonstrates interval fracturing of the two cortical screws in the vertebral body of C6. Superior displacement of the screws relative to the distal plate. Furthermore, the bone graft has tilted dorsally in its superior aspect as well. Click on the images to view a larger version!