Not Your Typical Sore Throat-A Case Report on Delayed Complications From Cervical Spinal Surgery

Esophageal perforation is an uncommon illness with a mortality rate as high as 50%. It is most frequently caused by iatrogenic instrumentation for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Noniatrogenic spontaneous ruptures account for 15% of cases, followed by traumatic injury and rupture secondary to a foreign body.¹ Sore throat is a common emergency medicine complaint with an array of causes and severity of pathology. We report a case of a sore throat resulting from esophageal perforation and prevertebral abscess as delayed complications from an anterior cervical surgery.