Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
European Spine Journal
Published in: European Spine Journal 4/2012

01-06-2012 | Case Report

Transient bilateral post-operative visual loss in spinal surgery

Authors: Nasir A. Quraishi, Jean-Paul Wolinsky, Ziya L. Gokaslan

Published in: European Spine Journal | Special Issue 4/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Post-operative visual loss (POVL) following spinal surgery is a rare but devastating complication. Although a number of intra-operative and post-operative factors have been implicated, the exact etiology may still remain unclear.

Purpose

To report a unique case of transient bilateral POVL in a patient who had undergone lumbar surgery in the prone position.

Study design/setting

This patient was followed up prospectively for 1 year.

Methods

Prospective follow-up of a single patient following spinal surgery, who developed transient bilateral POVL.

Results

This patient’s visual loss improved within 48 h.

Conclusion

This is the only documented case of POVL to have resolved completely within 48 h.
Literature
1.
Myers MA, Hamilton SR, Bogosian AJ, Smith CH, Wagner TA (1997) Visual loss as a complication of spine surgery. A review of 37 cases. Spine 22:1325–1329PubMedCrossRef
2.
Breuer A, Furlan AJ, Hanson MR, Lederman RJ, Loop FD, Cosgrove DM et al (1983) Central nervous system complications of coronary artery bypass graft surgery: prospective analysis of 421 patients. Stroke 14:682–687PubMedCrossRef
3.
Roth S, Thisted RA, Erickson JP, Black S, Schreider BD (1996) Eye injuries after nonocular surgery. A study of 60,965 anesthetics from 1988 to 1992. Anesthesiology 85:1020–1027PubMedCrossRef
4.
Stevens W, Glazer PA, Kelley SD, Lietman TM, Bradford DS (1997) Ophthalmic complications after spinal surgery. Spine 22:1319–1324PubMedCrossRef
5.
Williams EL (2002) Postoperative blindness. Anesthesiol Clin N Am 20:367–384CrossRef
6.
Katz DM, Trobe JD, Cornblath WT, Kline LB (1994) Ischemic optic neuropathy after lumbar spine surgery. Arch Ophthalmol 112:25–31CrossRef
7.
8.
Roth S, Barach P (2001) Postoperative visual loss: still no answers yet. Anesthesiology 95:575–577PubMedCrossRef
9.
Brown RH, Schauble JF, Miller NR (1994) Anemia and hypotension as contributors to perioperative loss of vision. Anesthesiology 80:222–226PubMedCrossRef
10.
Lee LA, Roth S, Posner KL, Cheney FW, Caplan RA, Newman NJ, Domino KB (2006) The American society of anesthesiologists postoperative visual loss registry: analysis of 93 spine surgery cases with postoperative visual loss. Anesthesiology 105:652–659PubMedCrossRef
11.
Baig MN, Lubow M, Immesoete P, Bergese SD, Hamdy E, Mendel E (2007) Vision loss after spine surgery: review of literature and recommendations. Neurosurg Focus 23(5):1–9CrossRef
12.
Heitz JW, Audu PB (2008) Asymmetric postoperative visual loss after spine surgery in the lateral decubitus position. Br J Anesth 101(3):380–382CrossRef
13.
Kamming D, Clarke S (2005) Postoperative visual loss following prone spinal surgery. Br J Anesth 95(2):257–260CrossRef
14.
Nakra D, Bala I, Pratap M, Kaur H (2007) Unilateral postoperative visual loss due to central retinal artery occlusion following cervical spine surgery in the prone position. Pediatr Anesth 17:805–808CrossRef
15.
Warner MA (2006) Postoperative visual loss: experts, data and practice. Anesthesiology 105:641–642PubMedCrossRef
16.
Rizzo JF III, Lessell S (1987) Posterior ischemic optic neuropathy during general surgery. Am J Ophthalmol 103:808–811PubMed
17.
Berdahl JP, Allingham RR (2010) Intracranial pressure and glaucoma. Curr Opin Ophthalmol 21(2):106–111PubMedCrossRef
18.
Dunker S, Hsu HY, Sebag J, Sadun AA (2001) Perioperative risk factors for posterior ischemic optic neuropathy. J Am Coll Surg 194(6):705–710CrossRef
19.
Ozcan MS, Praetel C, Bhatti MT, Gravenstein N, Mahla ME, Seubert CN (2004) The effect of body inclination during prone positioning on intraocular pressure in awake volunteers: a comparison of two operating tables. Anesth Analg 99:1152–1158PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Transient bilateral post-operative visual loss in spinal surgery
Authors
Nasir A. Quraishi
Jean-Paul Wolinsky
Ziya L. Gokaslan
Publication date
01-06-2012
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Spine Journal / Issue Special Issue 4/2012
Print ISSN: 0940-6719
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0932
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-011-2117-7

Other articles of this Special Issue 4/2012

European Spine Journal 4/2012 Go to the issue

Case Report

Currarino’s triad diagnosed in an adult woman

Case Report

Bilateral vasculopexy of anomalous vertebral arteries causing cervicomedullary compression: case report and technical note

Case Report

Rhabdomyolysis after heterotopic ossification: an unusual complication in a spinal cord injured patient

Case Report

Clinical, radiological, histological and retrieval findings of Activ-L and Mobidisc total disc replacements: a study of two patients

Case Report

Spinal gout tophus: a very rare cause of radiculopathy

Case Report

Minimally invasive lumbopelvic instrumentation for traumatic sacrolisthesis in an elderly patient