Sheetal Bulchandani
Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College,India.
Title: Spinal cord dysfunction and quadriplegia following tracheal resection- a rare complication
Submitted Date: 4/28/2016
Biography
Sheetal Bulchandani has completed MBBS from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai and currently pursuing internship at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital. She participated in a clinical elective at Harvard Medical School in Pediatric Otolaryngology, (ORL) Boston Childrens Hospital. (BCH)rnDavid Chang currently pursuing Fellowship in Pediatric ORL, BCH. Completed medical school from Case Western Reserve University and residency from Stanford University.Roger Nuss graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1988 & completed internship at University of Massachusetts Medical School. He did his residency at Massachusetts Eye Ear Hospital and pursued fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Currently an Associate in Otolaryngology and Assistant Professor in Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and has published many (over 10) papers in reputed journals.rn
Abstract
Introduction: Tracheal stenosis is narrowing of the windpipe which can occur after radiation therapy, prolonged use of a endotracheal tube or rarely, be congenital. Tracheal resection and primary reanastomosis for tracheal tumors and stenosis is a well-described procedure. Common complications of this procedure include Bleeding, infection airway edema, pulmonary insufficiency, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury,anastomotic dehiscence, fistula, leak and stenosis. We report a case of a 16 year-old male who suffered permanent quadriplegia following tracheal resection. rnMethods:rn Case Report and Literature Review.rnWe searched PUBMED using the words ‘tracheal resection + paraplegia’ ‘tracheal resection + quadriplegia’. All the relevant articles were thoroughly reviewed.rnObjectives: rnTo report on a young male who developed quadriplegia after surgery to relieve tracheal (subglottic) stenosis.rnrnConclusion: Quadriplegia/ Paraplegia after tracheal resection is an extremely ‘rare but there’ complication of tracheal resection. Different methods may be used to relieve the tension on the anastomotic site and the most appropriate method must be determined. A daily postoperative neurological examination should be performed in these patients. Immediate MRI should be performed if any abnormal findings are seen to verify the diagnosis. Quadriplegia in this setting likely resulted from compromised blood supply, concomitant edema, hemorrhage (as in this case, although the cause of hemorrhage is not known) or even traction (Breig9) however, the exact cause of injury remains unclear.rn