Risks and complications of open surgery

Surgery for spinal canal stenosis is associated with many risks and occasionally there are complications. For this reason, surgery is usually the last therapeutic option when all non-surgical measures have not led to sufficient success. If the operation is performed as open surgery on the back, general anesthesia is necessary.

This alone already carries risks and is a burden on the body. Especially with elderly people there is a risk of complications. However, since especially elderly people are affected by a severe spinal canal stenosis for which surgery is considered, it must often be considered whether general anesthesia is possible or the risks are too great.

Complications of anesthesia can include cardiovascular disorders, as well as nausea and vomiting after surgery. Further risks arise from the operation itself: As with any operation, complications can include bleeding or secondary bleeding and injury to structures such as nerves or vessels. There is also a risk of inflammation of the surgical site or wound.

Scars may also remain. A possible complication, which can occur especially during an operation on the spine, describes the damage to nerve roots. As a result, the symptoms of spinal canal stenosis may worsen or, in the worst case, even lead to paraplegia.

A further risk of spinal canal stenosis surgery is injury to the skin of the spinal cord (meninx spinalis).This must be sutured, otherwise there is a risk of an inflammation that can spread to the meninges and the brain itself. Further complications of the procedure are possible if the surgeon has to operate out large parts of the spine to widen the spinal canal. At the expense of relieving pressure from the spinal cord, too much bone material may cause instability of the spine. This risk is particularly high in the elderly because they already show frequent signs of wear and tear and therefore a reduced stability of the spine anyway.

Risks and complications of minimally invasive surgery

A good alternative to open surgery with fewer risks and complications is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of spinal stenosis. Instead of a general anesthesia, a local anesthesia is sufficient. Nevertheless, such an intervention also carries risks.

As a complication, permanent damage to nerves can also occur. Wound healing disorders, inflammation or excessive scarring are significantly less common than with open spinal canal stenosis surgery, but they also occur. As after any operation, pain is the first thing that occurs after an operation to correct spinal canal stenosis.

However, these are already treated preventively by the use of painkillers. If pain does occur, the doctor should be informed so that he can increase the dosage or switch to a more effective preparation. In the course of the hospital stay, the pain should ease and the pain medication should be slowly discontinued.

If a spinal canal stenosis operation is successful, the pain that may have existed previously is eliminated in the long term. However, such an optimal result is not always achieved. Often there is only a small or at least not complete reduction of pain after the operation. In some cases the pain remains unchanged. In the worst case, the pain after the operation may even be worse than before the operation.