Abdominal vascular injury caused by lumbar reoperation surgery：a case report

Abstract

Abstract Purpose We report a case of pedicle screw injury to the abdominal inferior vena cava （IVC）during lumbar reoperation. Methods A 67-year-old man was hospitalized again for low back pain and numbness in his lower limbs. The imaging results of the patient's re-hospitalization showed that the L4/5 intervertebral space was not fused, and the L5 bilateral pedicle screw was broken. When we removed the fractured pedicle screw on the left side, the screw was accidentally pushed to the abdomen. Fortunately, the patient 's blood pressure did not show a progressive decrease. Results We decisively made open exploration of the left approach to him, and successfully removed the pedicle screw. At the same time, we made bone graft and internal fixation of the L4/5 intervertebral space, and the patients had satisfactory recovery during and after the operation. Conclusion Abdominal vascular injury is a rare but fatal complication of posterior lumbar surgery. Lumbar revision surgery is complex, and surgeons must consider it carefully before surgery. Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion（OLIF）surgery can meet both lumbar revision and abdominal vascular exploration