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Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
Is neck flexion during a cerebrospinal fluid puncture a potentially hazardous maneuver?
Alexey Surov1, Christian Kunze, Ulla Lieser
1Department of Radiology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany. alex.surow@medizin.uni-halle.de
Introduction:
Cerebrospinal fluid puncture (CSFP) is a diagnostically meaningful procedure. We describe an acute tetraplegia in a patient as complication after CSFP.
Case Histories:
Cervical myelopathy due to posterior os odontoideum subluxation was diagnosed, and an occipitocervical fusion was performed surgically. No significant improvement of the neurological status was observed within the following 3 years.
Conclusions:
Neck flexion as performed during CSFP is a potentially hazardous maneuver. When patients show inconstant symptoms of craniocervical pathology or signs of cervical myelopathy, an os odontoideum should be suspected.
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