Postoperative Segmental C5 Palsy After Cervical Laminoplasty May Occur Without Intraoperative Nerve Injury: A Prospective Study With Transcranial Electric Motor-Evoked Potentials

Abstract

No abnormalities were observed on transcranial electric motor-evoked potential monitoring, even in those patients who developed postoperative transient C5 palsy. These results suggest that the development of postoperative C5 palsy after cervical laminoplasty is not associated with intraoperative injury of the nerve root or the spinal cord, although the precise mechanism of its development is still unclear. Surgeons should be aware that C5 palsy is a possible complication of cervical laminoplasty, even in the absence of intraoperative nerve injury.