The patient was taken to OR #1 at ABCD General Hospital on a gurney.  Department of Anesthesia administered fiberoptic intubation and general anesthetic.  A Foley catheter was placed in the bladder.  The patient was log rolled in a prone position on the Jackson table.  Bony prominences were well padded.  The patient's head was placed in the prone view anesthesia head holder.  At this point, the wound was examined closely and there was hematoma at the caudal pole of the wound.  Next, the patient was prepped and draped in the usual sterile fashion.  The previous skin incision was reopened.  At this point, hematoma properly exits from the wound.  All sutures were removed and the epidural spaces were encountered at this time.  The self-retaining retractors were placed in the depth of the wound.  Consolidated hematoma was now removed from the wound.  Next, the epidural space was encountered.  There was no additional hematoma in the epidural space or on the thecal sac.  A curette was carefully used to scrape along the thecal sac and there was no film or lining covering the sac.  The inferior edge of the C2 lamina was explored and there was no compression at this level and the superior lamina of T1 was explored and again no compression was identified at this area as well.  Next, the wound was irrigated copiously with one liter of saline using a syringe.  The walls of the wound were explored.  There was no active bleeding.  Retractors were removed at this time and even without pressure on the musculature, there was no active bleeding.  A #19 French Hemovac drain was passed percutaneously at this point and placed into the epidural space.  Fascia was reapproximated with #1 Vicryl sutures, subcutaneous tissue with #3-0 Vicryl sutures.  Steri-Strips covered the incision and dressing was then applied over the incision.  The patient was then log rolled in the supine position on the hospital gurney.  She remained intubated for airway precautions and transferred to the recovery room in stable condition.  Once in the recovery room, she was alert.  She was following simple commands and using her head to nod, but she did not have any active movement of her upper or lower extremities.  Prognosis for this patient is guarded.