Broken Cervical Screws

[wendilees]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas
I had a surgery 4 months ago to remove 2 cervical discs (C5-C7) and a titanium plate with 6 screws drilled into 3 vertebrae was installed. I am still so hoarse 4 months later that people are constantly asking me what's wrong and on my last checkup with my neurosurgeon, the Xray showed the bottom level screws were broken...snapped in half. Is this typical? I have found some references online to broken cervical screws but all were a result of trauma such as a fall or car accident. I have not experienced any trauma since my surgery. Also heard from a close friend of mine in the medical field in my city that my surgeon has temporarily lost hospital priveleges because of "bad medicine" or a "botched surgery". Have not been able to confirm this as more than a rumour but it is a well known rumour. What is the next step I should take?

 

[wooglin]

the broken screws can be the result of several problems. you may have developed a nonunion and the resultant micromotion can fatigue the screws enough to cause breakage. the screws may have been placed in a way that their fixation in the bone was not sufficient so as to cause the motion and thus breakage. those screws are monitored very closely by the fda for quality. it is very doubtful that the screws are faulty. the hoarseness is another problem altogether. risks of injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve are a well documented complication for an acdf especially a multilevel procedure. regardless of the reputation of your previous surgeon, your first step should be a second opinion from a nuerosurgeon or an orthopaedic surgeon fellowship trained in spine. this may help determine the cause of the broken screws and give a prognosis for the nerve injury.

 

[wendilees]

Thank you for the advice.
I am in the process of being referred to a new surgeon and an ENT who specializes in vocal cords. My original surgeon has retired.