Anterior Spinal Surgery Requiring Thoracotomy for Post-Operative Hematoma Removal: Two Case Reports

We report two cases that required revision surgery with thoracotomy for massive hematoma after anterior kyphorectomy surgery.

A woman with significant thoracolumbar kyphosis due to L1 vertebral fracture showed associated vertebral instability and pain resistant to conservative treatment.She underwent surgery for a one-stage anterior kypholectomy with spinal fusion. We performed an extrapleural approach. On the 4th post-operative day, the patient developed respiratory distress with decreased SpO2. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a left hemothorax with active bleeding. Revision surgery was performed to arrest the bleeding, and a large hematoma in the thoracic cavity was observed around the intercostal artery just below the skin incision, not around the surgical site.A man suffered from impaired activities of daily living caused by postural abnormalities due to severe kyphosis from vertebral fractures at the L1 and L2 vertebrae. Thus, we performed two-stage kypholectomy surgery. First, we performed posterior fixation with posterior facet resection. Then, corpectomy of the 1st and 2nd lumbar vertebrae through an anterior extrathoracic approach was performed. A CT scan on the 2nd post-operative day showed a massive hemopneumothorax, indicating persistent bleeding, and we performed a revision surgery to open the chest for additional hemostasis. Intraoperative findings showed a large hematoma, including reactive pleural effusion in the subcutaneous, retroperitoneal, and intrathoracic cavities.

We experienced two patients who required thoracotomy hematoma removal after anterior spinal surgery. Intraoperative patronage and adequate hemostasis are necessary to avoid post-operative complications such as hemothorax and hemopneumothorax.