Iatrogenic Vascular Injuries Due to Spinal Surgeries: Endovascular Perspective

Iatrogenic vascular injuries due to spinal surgeries are rare but serious complications. Surgical management of these injuries is challenging with high morbidity rates. In this study we aim to present the results of endovascular management of iatrogenic vascular injuries due to spinal surgeries.

We retrospectively reviewed 11 patients (5 male, 6 female) who had vascular injuries due to cervical and lumbar spinal surgeries. Clinical findings were bleeding (n=5), leg edema (n=6) and right heart failure with severe dyspnea (n=1). The age range of the patients were between 42-67 (mean: 57.1). Six patients were reviewed with imaging before the procedures and the rest of the patients (n=5) were directly referred to the angiography unit for diagnosis and possible endovascular treatment.

The types of surgeries were; cervical surgery (n=5) and lumbar disc operation (n=6). The type of vascular injuries were; vertebral artery stenosis (n=1), vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm (n=3), vertebral artery occlusion (n=1) and iliac arteriovenous fistula (n=6). The type of endovascular treatments were; parent artery occlusion (PAO) (n=2), covered stent graft implantation (n=6) and intrasaccular coil embolization of pseudoaneurysm (n=1). The remaining 2 patients were managed conservatively. No major complications or mortality occured during endovascular interventions. No bleeding or ischemia occured in the follow-up period.

Iatrogenic vascular injuries due to spinal surgeries are rare but serious complications. Endovascular interventions are safe and effective in the diagnosis and treatment of such vascular injuries.