ABSTRACT
In the past 10 years enormous progress has been made in our ability to stabilize the cervical spine. Specifically, posterior cervical instrumentation has profoundly advanced with screw-fixation techniques, allowing us to anchor very well into every segment of the occipito-cervical-thoracic spine, and the introduction of rod-based systems that connect these various screws to a stable platform. Associated with these new techniques are very specific challenges and potential complications. This chapter will detail these possible problems as well as outline preoperative strategies to avert complications and suggest techniques to minimize the severity of injury if a complication occurs.
