Congenital kyphoscoliosis with paralysis following hemivertebra excision.

This is a case report of a 13-year-old girl with a severely progressive congenital kyphoscoliosis, treated by halo-femoral traction and a single stage anterior and posterior hemivertebra excision. Forty-eight hours after surgery she developed paralysis of bowel, bladder and all motor function with partial preservation of deep sensation only. She began to have neurologic recovery 2 months later with gradual return of a completely normal neurological status over a period of 12 months. Pseudarthrosis and loss of correction of the original deformity required a second major anterior spine fusion 16 months after the initial procedure. No neurologic problems occurred following the second anterior fusion. A stable correction was ultimately achieved. The mechanism of postoperative paralysis is unknown.