Failure of reconstruction surgery using anterior fibular strut grafting to correct postlaminectomy kyphosis

A patient with postlaminectomy kyphosis with a neurological deficit which developed following the initial surgical treatment is reported. A 49-year-old man, complaining of neck pain, sought treatment in 1995. An extramedullary cervical spinal tumor was diagnosed and C2-C4 laminectomy and resection of the tumor were performed. Recurrence of the tumor was seen 1 year later and a second tumor resection and radiation therapy were performed. One year after the second resection of the tumor, X-rays of the cervical spine revealed kyphosis. Anterior spinal fusion without instrumentation was performed followed by immobilization using a halo vest for 4 months. However, pseudoarthrosis and progression of the kyphosis occurred postoperatively. Iliac bone grafting at the pseudoarthrosis site and posterior internal fixation with lateral mass plates was performed. Bony fusion between the graft and C6 vertebra was obtained after these procedures, but the neurological deficits were not completely resolved. Clinicians who treat spinal cord tumors may learn from this treatment failure.