untethering surgery

[snowwoman03]

Hi,

I have done a search at this site and have found alot of helpful information.

I guess my next question would be is, I have had a laminectomy the entire lenght of my neck for the syrnix. I am wondering if the untethering surgery would be done from the front of the neck?

If the surgery is done in the front what would I be looking at for a recovery period. I had a terrable time after each of my surgeries and am scared to death of taking on another one.

Leenie

[Wise Young]

Leenie, anterior approaches to the spinal cord are more difficult and riskier than posterior approaches (which is what I assume you had). Is this what is being suggested to you by your surgeon? Wise.

[snowwoman03]

Hi Dr Young,

Thankyou for your reply.

I was told by one neurosurgeon that because of my last 3 surgeries being done using the same incision site that another surgery would be difficult. They had trouble getting through the scar tissue with the last surgery.

I was also told some surgeries could be done using an incision in the front of the neck. What would be some of the risks using this approach?

Leenie

[Wise Young]

leenie, an anterior approach to the spinal cord (in the neck) is indeed a safer approach but the surgeon is still operating through a hole and a rather deep one at that with limited visibility of the spinal cord. It is definitely safer than going from the back and trying to visualize the front of the spinal cord without pushing it too much to one side. Recovery from such surgeries is similar to that of a posterior approach because they usually put a plate in front and this effectively stabilizes the spinal column. The scar from the back is relatively small. You will probably be intubated during the surgery but this should not be a problem after the surgery. Finally, the procedure should go pretty quickly. So, I don't think that recovery period will be much longer. Wise.

[SCI-Nurse]

I would just add a couple things about surgery from the front.

Swallowing problems post-op can occur due to swelling around the area. This usually resolves after several weeks, but may cause you problems with solid food.

There is a risk of damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Although rare, I have seen it a number of times. This can result in partial or complete vocal cord paralysis, causing problems with a soft voice, and sometimes long term swallowing problems.

Be sure to discuss these issues with your surgeon prior to the surgery and have a plan for how problems will be handled if they should occur.

(KLD)