Table 1.
Characteristics of included cases.
| Case | Age (years) (at time of PEP surgery) | Sex | Medical history | Indication for cervical surgery | Cervical surgery | Level of PEP | Mechanism of PEP | Interval between PEP diagnosis (recurrence) and surgical treatment | Instrumentation removal | Posterior fixation (days before PEP repair surgery) | Type of flap | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case 1 | 53 | F | — | Cervical spondylosis | ACCF (C6) | MCS | Plate decubitus | 10 Y | Plate removal | No | SCM | Resolution |
| Case 2 | 47 | F | Hypertension, rectal cancer (moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma), uterine fibroids | Cervical spondylosis | ACDF (C4–6) | MCS | Plate decubitus | 9 Y | Plate and partial (C5/6) cage removal | No | SCM | Resolution |
| Case 3 | 42 | M | Smoking | Cervical spondylosis | ACDF (C5/6) + posterior single open-door laminoplasty (C4–7) | MCS | Plate decubitus | 4 M | Plate and cage removal | Already present | SCM | Resolution |
| Case 4 | 53 | M | — | Trauma | ACDF (C3/4 + C5/6) + posterior single open-door laminoplasty (C3–6) | MCS | Screw decubitus | 5 Y | Prevail removal (C5/6) | Already present | SCM | Resolution |
| Case 5 | 28 | M | — | Trauma | ACDF (C3–6) | CTJ | Screw malposition and migration | 1 M | Plate and cage removal | No | SCM | Resolution |
PEP, pharyngo-esophageal perforation; SCM, sternocleidomastoid muscle; MCS, midcervical spine; CTJ, cervicothoracic junction; ACCF, anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion; ACDF, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.