How Long Do Swallowing and Voice Problems Last After C-Spine Surgery ACDF?

I often see patients for swallowing and/or voice difficulties after cervical spine surgery (ACDF) . In the vast majority of cases, reassurance that such "side effects" are not uncommon is the only thing I need to provide after a complete exam. After all, both the voice box and swallowing tube are manipulated and pushed over to one side in order to perform cervical spine surgery from an anterior approach. Check out the video below that illustrates how this happens. Beyond reas…

12/29/2013 1

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ENT Surgeon Sues Spine Surgeon for Wrong Sided Surgery

Wrong sided surgery is extremely rare occurring anywhere from 0.09 to 4.5 per 10,000 surgeries performed. It is almost unheard of when the patient is a surgeon as well. On Nov 13, 2012, media reported that an ENT surgeon (plaintiff) sued his spine surgeon (defendant) over wrong-sided surgery. The ENT surgeon had spine surgery in 2011 for low back pain which was allegedly due to pinched nerves. The treatment called for laminectomy surgery on the right side which entails bone removal t…

11/18/2012 0

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How Does Cervical Spine Surgery Potentially Cause Voice and Swallow Problems? [video]

It is not unusual for an ENT surgeon to see patients with swallowing and voice difficulties after cervical spine surgery. In particular, the ACDF surgery (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion). The key to understanding these issues is to first understand the anatomy involved. The cervical spine is located in the back of the neck. In front of this spine is the esophagus (swallowing tube) and voicebox . As such, when a spine surgeon goes through the FRONT of the neck in order to per…

4/04/2012 38

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