Table 3.
Transient and Serious or Long-Term Complications Following DREZ Surgical Lesions
| Post-Operative Complications Following Surgical DREZ Lesioning | ||
|---|---|---|
| Author (Date) | Transient Complications | Severe or Lasting Complications |
| Bing (2019)60 | 10 of 42: diffuse pruritis (average 3 days), symptoms alleviated through low-dose intramuscular injection | 3 of 42: permanent tingling pain affecting daily life, 2 of which had resolution with adjacent level DREZ lesions; 1 remanded to oral analgesics |
| 2 of 42: wound dehiscence | 1 of 42: recurrence of pain in the original pain area that increasingly worsened | |
| 1 of 42: urinary tract infection | ||
| Takai (2017)61 | 1 of 10: sensory deficit, resolved within 1 month | 1 of 10: a new persistent pain requiring oral analgesics |
| 2 of 10: new adjacent level pain for <1 month | ||
| Chivukula (2015)10 | 1 of 83: atelectasis | 3 of 83: paresis |
| 2 of 83: post-op colitis | 3 of 83: neuropathy/radiculopathy | |
| 2 of 83: persistent incisional site pain | ||
| Ko (2016)62 | None reported | None reported |
| Awad (2013)63 | None reported | 2 of 19: motor weakness |
| Ruiz-Juretschke (2011)16 | 3 of 18: transient proprioceptive sensory disturbance | 1 of 18: death 9 days post-operatively following nosocomial pneumonia |
| 2 of 18: CSF leak | 1 of 18: dorsal post-surgical myelopathy treated with bilateral low dorsal DREZ surgical lesions | |
| Zhang (2008)64 | 13 of 23: transient hyperalgesia in the upper chest, secondary to prolonged operative positioning | 8 of 23: transient slight hemiplegia |
| 15 of 23: hypesthesia and paresthesia | ||
| 6 of 23: a bearing down feeling of affected extremity | ||
| 4 of 23: deep sensory disability in the lower limbs | ||
| Tomas (2005)43 | None reported | 2 of 21: sustained motor deficits |
| 1 of 21: sustained sensory deficits | ||
| Sindou (2001)65 | 3 of 44: CSF leak | 1 of 44: bacteremia |
| 2 of 44: wound infection | ||
| 1 of 44: subcutaneous hematoma | ||
| Samii (2001)66 | None reported | 2 of 47: subdural hematoma |
| 7 of 47: motor weakness | ||
| Edgar (1993)40 | 3 of 112: CSF leak | 2 of 112: sensory deficits |
| 5 of 112: myelopathic myoclonus | 3 of 112: motor deficits | |
| 1 of 112: spine instability | ||
| 2 of 112: pulmonary embolus | ||
| 8 of 112: treatment failure (no analgesia) | ||
| 2 of 112: suicide 1–2 years post operatively | ||
| Kumagai (1992)67 | None reported | 12 of 15: Sensory loss |
| 7 of 15: motor weakness | ||
| 4 of 15: paraesthesia | ||
| 6 of 15: a new pain | ||
| Young (1990)68 | None reported | 1 of 78 patients: reduced sensation, paraparesis, and altered sphincter function. |
| 1 of 78 patients: bowel and bladder incontinence | ||
| 1 of 78 patients: near complete paraplegia | ||
| 7 of 78 ipsilateral leg weakness | ||
| 7 of 78: loss of proprioception | ||
| Campbell (1988)69 | 2 of 10 patients: hyperreflexia | None reported |
| Garcia-March (1987)70 | 1 of 11 patients: transient weakness | None reported |
| Thomas (1984)71 | 7 of 19: motor weakness | 1 of 19: severe motor weakness |
| 5 of 19: sensory deficits (mostly proprioception) | Some patients had persistent sensory deficits (details unclear) | |
| Samii (1984)66 | 9 of 35: sensory deficits | None |
| 1 of 35: motor deficits | ||
| 8 of 35: motor and sensory deficits | ||
| Richter (1984)72 | 1 of 10: transient weakness | 2 of 10: died post-operatively |
| 1 of 10: Brown-Sequard type hypoesthesia | ||
| 2 of 10: Unilateral hypoesthesia | ||
| 1 of 10: motor and sensory deficits | ||