Cervical Vertebrae Internal Fixation Revision in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease that affects the sacroiliac joints and surrounding joints. It is a seronegative spondyloarthritis that invades connective tissue. Managing cervical spine fractures in patients with AS is particularly challenging due to the severity of the deformity and the instability of the fracture. Cervical spine fracture combined with spinal cord injury is the leading cause of death and is strongly correlated with in-hospital mortality in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. There have been limited reports on the revision of cervical spine fractures after internal fixation in patients with AS. The case report is about a patient who is a 34-year-old man who underwent emergency surgery at a local hospital for a cervical spine fracture resulting from a car accident. A postoperative review revealed that the anterior internal fixation was detached, leading to a revision surgery being performed according to the patient's actual condition. Unfortunately, the internal fixation became dislodged fol-lowing the initial surgery, exacerbating the patient's condi-tion and leading to the development of pneumonia. In order to prevent the need for revision surgery, it is crucial to carefully evaluate and determine the most suitable surgical approach for patients with cervical spine fractures and spinal cord injury before proceeding with the initial surgery.