Oesophageal perforation in anterior cervical spine plating: A Case report

A case report of a 48-year-old man who had a pharyngo-esophageal perforation with instrumentation failure 10 weeks after anterior cervical spine plating is presented and the literature on this issue is reviewed. Diagnosis of the perforation was made late as he had been lost to follow up and he eventually died of severe infection. This case stresses the necessity of using proper anterior cervical instrumentation systems and careful long-term follow-up in patients with anterior cervical spine plating for early detection of possible perforation. East and Central African Journal of Surgery . 2011 Nov/ December;16 (3)