If this happens it can lead to infections and pneumonia, which can be very serious.
If you can’t swallowcorrectly then food and drink may be getting into your airway and lungs. Sometimes post-surgical inflammation, infection, and scarring can also contribute to dysphagia. In addition, there have been reports of the fusion hardware obstructing the proper movement of the structures involved in swallowing. This can cause stretching, dislodgement or damage of the nerves and muscles required for swallowing. The throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx) and food pipe (oesophagus) lies directly in front of the spine and needs to be mobilized and retracted during surgery. There is arare risk that their dysphagia will be permanent Causes:
Studies estimate that about 10-30% of ACDF patients have some degree of swallowing difficulty for up to 2 years after surgery. However, sometimes, the dysphagia lasts for weeks, months, or even longer. Most ACDF patients fully recover their ability to swallow within a few days after surgery. 1 –Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusionĭysphagia is one of the most common complications following ACDF surgery. A fusion involves placing bone graft and/or implants where the disc originally was in order to provide stability and strength to the area, and stabilising the neck with screws.įig.
It can happen rapidly, or slowly and has many causes. Dysphagiais the medical term for a sensation of difficulty or abnormality of swallowing.Swallowingis a complicated sequence of both voluntary and reflex movements, which needs your brain to coordinate many muscles and nerves.Swallowing Problems after Cervical Spine Surgery Definition: