Cerebral Infarction after Spine Surgery: Report of Two Cases

There has been an increase in spinal surgery for the elderly, with a corresponding potential increase in perioperative complications. In our department, 1833 patients underwent spinal surgery under general anesthesia from April 2001 to October 2012, and 2 of 260 patients aged ≥75 years old had postoperative cerebral infarction. An analysis of the pathogenic mechanism and potential risk factors showed that a history of cerebral infarction was a significant risk factor. Blood pressure rapidly increased on arousal from anesthesia, and particularly on extubation. The change in blood pressure was examined as a potential risk factor for cerebral infarction, but no significant relationship was observed. This result requires further examination in more patients with cerebral infarction after spinal surgery.