Table 1. Summary of published complications of anterior lumbar spinal surgery.
| Publication | Patients (n) | Vascular injuries, n (%) | Mean blood loss, mL (range) | DVT, n (%) | Visceral injuries, n (%) | Paralytic ileus, n (%) | Wound complication, n (%) | Retrograde ejaculation, n (%) | Sympathetic dysfunction, n (%) | Mean length of stay, d (range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajaraman (1999)26 | 60 | 4 (6.7) | – | 1 (1.7) | 1 (1.7) | 3 (5) | 2 (3.3) | 2 (3.3) | 6 (10) | – |
| Mayer (2002)27 | 171 | – | 73.6 (20–400) | 1 (0.6) | – | 1 (0.6) | 1 (0.6) | – | – | – |
| Bianchi (2003)28 | 72 | 1 (1.4) | – | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.4) | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Brau (2004)13 | 1,310 | 25 (1.9) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Saraph (2004)29 | 56 | 4 (7.1) | 460 (100–2,000) | 1 (1.8) | – | 4 (7.1) | 1 (1.8) | – | 5 (8.9) | – |
| Gumbs (2005)30 | 60 | 2 (3.1) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 (2–22) |
| Sasso (2005)25 | 471 | 14 (3) | – | 2 (0.9) | – | – | – | 1 (0.4) | – | 3.8 (1–38) |
| Fantini (2007)31 | 345 | 10 (2.9) | 1,510 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hamdan (2008)32 | 480 | 54 (11.3) | 150 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chiriano (2009)33 | 405 | 107 (26.4) | – | 3 (0.7) | – | 6 (1.5) | – | – | – | 5.5 |
| Garg (2010)34 | 212 | 13 (6.1) | 143 (5–4,000) | 5 (2.4) | 1 (0.5) | – | 1 (0.5) | 4 (4.3) | 0 | – |
| Asha (2012)17 | 104 | 3 (2.9) | 148 (50–230) | 0 | 0 | 18 (17.3) | 1 (1) | 0 | – | Median 5 (4–9) |
Abbreviation: DVT, deep venous thrombosis.