Tapia Syndrome After Cervical Laminoplasty: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Tapia syndrome is a rare complication of surgical positioning with resulting unilateral cranial nerve X and XII deficits that may provide diagnostic challenges in the perioperative period. Timely diagnosis will facilitate obtaining the necessary supportive care while preventing unnecessary workup and procedures.

The following case report illustrates a patient that developed Tapia syndrome immediately after a posterior cervical laminoplasty with eventual resolution of symptoms. A review of the literature was also undertaken for comparison.

Tapia syndrome can occur with a variety of surgeries, but appear to be most common in surgeries of the posterior cervical spine in the neurosurgical literature. It is theorized that flexed head position common among posterior cervical procedures makes patients more prone to Tapia syndrome in these cases. The ideal management remains poorly defined in the literature. The time course and resolution of neurologic deficits support a transient neuropraxic mechanism in most cases, though some patients do suffer permanent deficits.