List of Consenting Issues

This section aims to provide you with information on Surgical, Non-Surgical, Complications and Case Studies. Please use the links on the left hand side to navigate these pages.

Discectomy / Decompression:

Infection – re-operation

General anaesthetic risk, including CVA, MI

DVT, PE

Death, paralysis, cauda equina syndrome

Nerve root injury

CSF leak/dural tear – re-operation

Haematoma – re-operation

Nerve root fibrosis

Recurrence

Wrong level

Pressure on optic nerve - blindness

Decompression:

Infection – re-operation

General anaesthetic risk, including CVA, MI

DVT, PE

Death, paralysis, cauda equina syndrome

Nerve root injury

CSF leak/dural tear – re-operation

Haematoma – re-operation

Nerve root fibrosis

Recurrence

Variable effect of lower back pain

Wrong level

Pressure on optic nerve - blindness

Use of coflex - implant failure/reoperation

Fusion surgery:

Infection – re-operation

General anaesthetic risk, including CVA, MI

DVT, PE

Death, paralysis

Nerve root injury

CSF leak/dural tear – re-operation

Haematoma – re-operation

Nerve root fibrosis

Metalwork misplacement/failure

Pseudarthrosis/failure to fuse

Adjacent level degeneration

Donor site pain

Pressure on optic nerve - blindness

Anterior cervical Decompression / Discectomy & fusion:

Infection – re-operation

General anaesthetic risk, including CVA, MI

DVT, PE

Death, paralysis/tetraplegia

Nerve root injury

CSF leak/dural tear – re-operation

Side effects of the approach, including laryngeal nerve injury or palsy, damage to trachea or oesophagus, damage to other viscera; including vessels

Haematoma – re-operation

Metalwork misplacement/failure

Pseudarthrosis, implant subsidence

Adjacent level disease including deformity -kyphosis

Donor site pain if taking graft