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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Evaluation of Patients' Posture and Gait Profile After Lumbar Fusion Surgery by Video Rasterstereography and Treadmill Gait Analysis

Published on: March 23, 2019

Visual field defect after posterior spine fusion.

Danielle A Katz¹, Lawrence I Karlin

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. katzdortho@aol.com

|February 1, 2005

Summary

Right-to-left atrial shunts can cause paradoxical emboli during scoliosis surgery, leading to visual field defects. This review highlights shunts as a risk factor for vision loss after posterior spine fusion.

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Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Neurology
Cardiology

Background:

Postoperative visual loss after scoliosis surgery has multiple potential causes.
Right-to-left atrial shunts are associated with increased cerebral microemboli.

Observation:

A case of a previously undiagnosed right-to-left atrial shunt in a patient experiencing visual field defects post-scoliosis surgery.

Findings:

A paradoxical embolus to the central retinal artery branch caused a unilateral visual field defect (homonymous quadrantanopsia).

Implications:

Right-to-left atrial shunts represent a significant risk factor for paradoxical emboli during scoliosis surgery.
Identifying and managing shunts may prevent postoperative visual field defects.

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