Abstract
We report a 58-year-old woman who presented with dysphagia and recurrent episodes of coughing and choking during swallowing 10years after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with implantation of an anterior cervical plate. Barium esophagography revealed erosion of the cervical plate through the posterior wall of the pharyngoesophageal junction with an extraluminal collection that extended inferiorly as a track through the posterior wall of the trachea, producing a pharyngotracheal fistula. The pharyngeal perforation was repaired and the cervical hardware removed at surgery. This rare complication of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion should be recognized as a potentially serious but treatable long-term sequela of an anterior cervical plate.
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