i had a c5- c6 corpectomy. post op i woke up paralyzed from the waist down. ssep were done thoughout the case without evidence for decrease in signal strength. blood presuer throught the surgery was within normal limits. i have no problems with my arms. how can this happen?
Hi, thanks for asking from Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. The weakness after C5-6 carpectomy in postoperative period could be due to - Postoperative hypotension and ischemic damage. If there was significant blood loss and hypotension in postoperative period, it can cause ischemic damage to spinal cord. It can be confirmed by seeing the records of BP monitoring and MRI of cervico-dorsal Spinal cord.- Low hemoglobin is another cause of weakness. If there is significant fall in hemoglobin level (He level lesser than 8gm%), it can cause hypoxic damage to spinal cord. Postoperative hemoglobin level helps in determining the cause. There are chances of good recovery if blood transfusion is done on urgent basis.- Postoperative hematoma or compression from bony pieces/Instruments - It is another cause. Delayed bleeding or broken bone pieces/Instruments compressing over spinal cord can cause postoperative weakness. MRI cervico-dorsal spinal cord will help in finding the cause. Immediate decompression can help in regaining the functions. - Anesthetic Chat Doctor. 