Intraoperative Injury to the Spinal Cord and Nerve Roots

Intraoperative injury to the spinal cord during spinal surgery, although rare, is a potentially devastating complication of spine surgery. Injury may occur at any stage of the procedure, from patient positioning to wound closure. The increased use of spinal instrumentation in the past decade, while offering patients significant benefit, has also increased the potential risk of intraoperative spinal cord injury. The exact incidence of spinal cord injury is unknown, and most injuries are transient. In this chapter, we will look at the pitfalls and potential ways of preventing iatrogenic spinal cord injury.