Remote cerebellar hemorrhage after intradural disc surgery

Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage after Dural Tear in Spinal Surgery-A Series of 10 Cases and Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

Intracranial hemorrhage (IH) after spinal surgery is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Knowledge of predisposing factors and typical clinical signs is essential for early recognition, helping to prevent an unfavorable outcome.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed of patients with IH after spinal surgery treated in our institution between 2012 and 2018. The literature dealing with IH complicating spinal surgery was reviewed.

RESULTS

Our investigation found 10 patients with IH (6 female and 4 male). To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series reported so far. The assumable incidence of IH after spinal surgery in our population was 0.0657%. Durotomy was noticed in 6 patients, all of whom were treated according to a local standard protocol. In 4 patients, the dural tear was occult. Hemorrhage occurred mostly in the cerebellar compartment. Eight of 10 patients had long-standing arterial hypertension, which seems to be a risk factor (hazard ratio, 1.58). Five patients were treated conservatively, whereas 3 required a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedure. In 2 patients, revision surgery with duraplasty was necessary. Seven patients were discharged with little to no neurologic symptoms, and 3 had significant deterioration. One patient died because of brainstem herniation. Review of the literature identified 54 articles with 72 patients with IH complicating spinal surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with intraoperative CSF loss should be kept under close supervision postoperatively. After opening of the dura, a watertight closure should be attempted. The use of subfascial suction drainage in cases of a dural tear as well as preexistent arterial hypertension seems to be a risk factor for the development of IH. Intracranial bleeding must be considered in every patient with unexplained neurologic deterioration after spinal surgery and should be ruled out by cranial imaging. To ensure early recognition and prevent an unfavorable outcome, a high index of suspicion is required, especially in revision spinal surgery. The treatment is specific to the extent and location of the IH, thus dictating the outcome. In most patients, conservative treatment led to a good outcome. CSF diversion measures may be necessary in patients with compression or obstruction of the fourth ventricle. Large hematomas with mass effect may require decompressive surgery.

Cerebrospinal fluid leaks after spine tumor resection: avoidance, recognition and management

Post-operative CSF leaks are a known complication of spine surgery in general, and patients undergoing surgical intervention for spinal tumors may be particularly predisposed due to the presence of intradural tumor and a number of other factors. Post-operative CSF leaks increase morbidity, lengthen hospital stays, prolong immobilization and subject patients to a number of associated complications. Intraoperative identification of unintended durotomies and effective primary repair of dural defects is an important first step in the prevention of post-operative CSF leaks, but in patients who develop post-operative pseudomeningoceles, durocutaneous fistulae or other CSF-leak-related sequelae, early recognition and secondary intervention are paramount to preventing further CSF-leak-related complications and achieving the best patient outcomes possible. In this article, the incidence, risk factors and complications of CSF leaks after spine tumor surgery are reviewed, with an emphasis on avoidance of post-operative CSF leaks, early post-operative identification and effective secondary intervention.

Remote Cerebellar Hemorrhage Presenting with Cerebellar Mutism after Spinal Surgery: An Unusual Case Report

Dural injury during spinal surgery can subsequently give rise to a remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH). Although the incidence of such injury is low, the resulting hemorrhage can be life threatening. The mechanism underlying the formation of the hemorrhage is not known, but it is mostly thought to develop after venous infarction. Cerebellar mutism (CM) is a frequent complication of posterior fossa operations in children, but it is rarely seen in adults. The development of CM after an RCH has not been described. We describe the case of a 65-year old female who lost cerebrospinal fluid after inadvertent opening of the dura during surgery. Computerized tomography performed when the patient became unable to speak revealed a bilateral cerebellar hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Presenting with Seizure due to Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage after Spinal Surgery

Cerebrospinal fluid leakage may commonly occur during spinal surgeries and it may cause dural tears. These tears may result in hemorrhage in the entire compartments of the brain. Most common site of such hemorrhages are the veins in the cerebellar region. We report a case of hemorrhage, mimicking aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a cerebrospinal fluid leakage following lumbar spinal surgery and discuss the possible mechanisms of action.

Remote Cerebellar Hemorrhage after Revision Lumbar Spine Surgery

Study Design Case report. Objective To report a case of remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH) without intraoperative dural tear after revision lumbar spine surgery. RCH is a rare postoperative complication following spine surgery. RCH has previously been reported only in cases with intraoperative dural tear or durotomy. Methods Case report and literature review. Results A 58-year-old woman underwent removal of L4-S1 posterior spinal instrumented fusion (PSIF) implants and L3-L4 decompressive laminectomy with PSIF. There was no intraoperative dural tear. After doing well initially, the patient developed new neurologic symptoms and was found to have RCH. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a large dural defect. After repair of the dura, the patient had dramatic improvement of her neurologic symptoms. At 1-year follow-up, the patient continued to have no neurologic sequelae. Conclusion This report demonstrates that RCH can occur without intraoperative dural tear. Although rare, any patient with new onset of declining neurologic symptoms following spine surgery should have a brain MRI and should have RCH on the differential diagnosis.

Remote cerebellar hemorrhage following thoracic spinal surgery of an intradural extramedullary tumor: a case report

Introduction

Remote cerebellar hemorrhage is a rare complication of spinal surgery. Although loss of cerebrospinal fluid seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of this complication, the detailed mechanism of remote cerebellar hemorrhage after spinal surgery remains unclear. We report the case of a patient with remote cerebellar hemorrhage following thoracic spinal surgery of an intradural extramedullary tumor and discuss this entity with reference to the literature.

Case presentation

A 57-year-old Japanese woman presented to our hospital with back pain, dysuria, and numbness of both legs. A neurological examination was performed, and imaging was performed with ordinary radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography. Her magnetic resonance imaging scan showed an intradural extramedullary tumor at the T3 level. A tumor resection and T1-T5 pedicle screw fixation were performed. Twelve hours after spinal surgery, she complained of unexpected dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. A total of 850mL of serosanguineous fluid had been drained at that time, and drainage was stopped. An urgent brain computed tomography scan showed a cerebellar hemorrhage. She was treated conservatively, and was able to leave hospital six weeks after the initial operation, without any neurological deficits except for slight ataxia.

Conclusions

Remote cerebellar hemorrhage has to be suspected when unexpected neurological signs occur after spinal surgery. If an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid drains from the drainage tube after spinal surgery, drainage should be stopped.