Efficacy of Postoperative Radiograph for Evaluating the Prevertebral Soft Tissue Swelling after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Cervical spine surgery by the anterior approach is currently used to treat diverse diseases of the cervical spine. However, many complications can occur. In particular, postoperative airway obstruction is a potentially life-threatening complication. Cervical spine prevertebral soft tissue swelling (PSTS) has been observed on plain radiographs of the lateral cervical spine, and used as an indirect indicator for identifying degrees of damage by trauma or pathologic conditions, such as a retropharyngeal abscess.1-6) After surgery for degenerative spinal diseases by the anterior approach, the degree of soft tissue swelling were assessed simply by using plain radiographs. However, few studies have been conducted according to the surgical methods or extent of surgery, and no study has addressed the clinical meaning of swelling determined by plain radiography. In the present study, we evaluated soft tissue swelling observed in plain lateral radiographs after anterior cervical fusion surgery to identify the relationships between PSTS and the extent and location of surgery, and to explore correlations between PSTS and complications related to soft tissue damage.