Psoas Hematoma and Late Femoral Nerve Palsy After Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion and Posterior Spinal Fusion with Instrumentation: A Case Report

Spontaneous psoas hematoma following posterior lumbar fusion surgery: a mini literature review

BACKGROUND

Spontaneous psoas hematoma is a very rare clinical entity, and the pathogenesis and pathologic mechanisms of spontaneous psoas hematoma remain unclear, thus, it is of great value to explore.

CASE PRESENTATION

We encountered a patient who developed femoral nerve paralysis due to psoas muscle hematoma following posterior lumbar fusion surgery. A 69-year-old female with lumbar spinal canal stenosis underwent posterior lumbar fusion at the L3-4 and L4-5 levels. On the 7th postoperative day, the patient complained of severe abdominal pain along with right limb pain and weakness. A computed tomography image showed a large acute psoas muscle hematoma on the right side. After conservative treatment, the psoas hematoma was resolved and the patient's femoral nerve paralysis gradually recovered.

CONCLUSIONS

Spontaneous psoas hematoma is a rare and extremely dangerous complication after lumbar spine surgery. For high - risk patients who have taken anticoagulants before the operation, we must be vigilant against the occurrence of this complication.

Lateral Transpsoas Interbody Fusion

The lateral transpsoas approach to lumbar interbody fusion has gained widespread adoption for a variety of indications. This approach to the interbody space allows for a favorable fusion environment, disc and neuroforaminal height restoration, and powerful alignment correction. Despite its minimally invasive nature, this procedure carries unique risks, the most severe of which include bowel injury, major vascular injury, and lumbosacral plexopathy. This poses a marked learning curve and requires rigorous attention to detail in technique. In this review, we provide a detailed description of our approach to preoperative imaging, patient positioning, and surgical technique, with an emphasis on patient safety and evidence-based decision-making. A brief description of intraoperative neuromonitoring techniques follows. The lateral transpsoas approach to interbody fusion has demonstrated reliable outcomes in regard to fusion rates, pain and function, and deformity correction, all across a widespread variety of lumbar spine pathologies. Here, we depict techniques, pearls, and pitfalls that are critical for any surgeon considering whether to add this technique to their practice.

Iatrogenic femoral nerve injuries: Analysis of medico-legal issues through a scoping review approach

PURPOSE

Accidental femoral nerve injury is a well-known iatrogenic complication of orthopaedic, abdominal, and pelvic surgery. Because of the largely transitory nature of the symptoms associated with nerve damage, its true incidence is in all likelihood underestimated. This work aims to illustrate the surgical contexts within which this nerve injury is reported, based on the evidence obtained from a Scoping Review of the literature of the last 20 years, with specific reference to the underlying etiopathogenetic mechanisms and prognostic outcomes, to highlight the evaluation issues of medico-legal interest related to this pathology.

METHODS

We conducted a Scoping Review of iatrogenic femoral nerve injuries reported between 2000 and 2021 by searching the electronic databases Pubmed, Scopus, Ovid Medline, Ovid Emcare, and Web of Science.We conducted the review according to the five-step methodology outlined by Arksey and O'Malley.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 104 papers, including case reports, case series, and retrospective studies. Surgical contexts within which iatrogenic femoral nerve injuries were reported include orthopaedic, abdominal, gynaecological, urological, vascular, and plastic surgery, as well as locoregional anaesthesiological procedures. The long-term prognosis was generally favourable.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of its frequent iatrogenic genesis, femoral nerve injury is a topic of intense medico-legal interest. From the perspective of estimating the patient's disability, the mostly favourable nature of the prognosis makes the medico-legal assessment, in some respects, complex, thus requiring a precise evaluation methodology.

Using an Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) in Revising Failed Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) With Exchange of Cage

Minimally invasive techniques have gained popularity in spine surgery in recent years. Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) is one of these techniques. The rapid increase in the use of this approach in either primary or revision surgeries is related to its several advantages including less operative time, less blood loss and reduced length of hospital stay with fast recovery. We report a case of a failed transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) in L4-L5 level, one year after the primary procedure with persistent pain due to failed fusion. Underwent revision, by using XLIF with the removal of old cage and exchange with new large cage. Revision of failed interbody fusion can be achieved through anterior, posterior or lateral approach. The decision to proceed with either method depends on several factors, including previous surgeries, fibrosis and risk of neurovascular injury and surgeon's preference. XLIF approach should be considered in revision surgeries of failed interbody fusion. As it can provide several advantages compared to anterior or posterior approaches, in terms of better fusion rates and lower risk of neurovascular injuries by avoiding the use of the previous passage.