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Postoperative Spinal Fusion Abdominal Complications

Spinal fusion surgery can end years of pain and suffering by correcting and strengthening the spine, but it can also cause its share of problems after the operation. Some of these problems include complications in abdominal organs or blood vessels which range in seriousness from the annoying to the lethal.

  1. Spinal Fusion Surgery

    • A spinal fusion can restore correct alignment to a spine bent or weakened by illness, deformity or injury, relieving pain often associated with pinched nerves and degenerated discs. Surgeons can perform a spinal fusion from the front (anterior spinal fusion) to correct the upper spine, or through the back (posterior spinal fusion) to correct the lower regions. A combination of bone grafts and metal supports immobilizes the problem area and allows it to fuse together, restricting the motion responsible for the pain.

    Intestinal Complications

    • The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) states that spinal fusion surgery may lead to intestinal problems. In these cases, bowel function slows or even stops entirely. Merck identifies this condition as paralytic ileus and notes that it frequently appears after abdominal surgeries. The stomach can stop emptying its contents for about 24 hours, while the large intestine may fail to operate for 72 hours or more.

    Abdominal Hernia

    • Some cases of anterior lumbar surgery may result in an abdominal hernia, or a weakness in the abdominal wall that allows abdominal organs to protrude. A surgery-induced abdominal hernia is also known as an incisional or ventral hernia. Incisional hernias make up about 10 to 15 percent of all hernia cases. While most hernias cause only minimal discomfort or a slight bulge in the abdomen, hernias that lead to pain and nausea may require surgery to correct.

    Lacerated Ureter

    • In some cases, the use of sharp surgical instruments may cause accidental lacerations to the ureters, a pair of tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) posted a case study in which an anterior spinal fusion procedure injured a ureter, leading to kidney impairment and infection.

    Considerations

    • The Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals points out that anterior spinal fusions pose a greater risk of abdominal complications than posterior fusions, suggesting that patients should ask for a posterior fusion if at all possible.

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