A case of T2 radiculopathy after anterior C5-6 fusion

Abstract

Thoracic radiculopathy is a rare entity. Symptomatic adjacent-segment disease after anterior cervical fusion occurs commonly in the lower cervical spine segment. We describe the clinical presentation and treatment of T2 radiculopathy after C5-6 anterior fusion. A 60-year-old man presented with the right axillary pain for 3 months. He had undergone C5-6 anterior fusion for cervical spondylosis 5 years prior. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance images showed T2-3 degenerative disease. C5-6 anterior fusion exacerbated the T2-3 segment involved in the patient's scoliotic deformity. After 2 months of conservative treatment, we decompressed the T2 foramen via T2-3 hemilaminectomy and partial facet resection. After the surgery, his symptoms disappeared. T2 radiculopathy is rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chest pain. Surgeons should pay attention not only to adjacent-segment disease but also to segmental degeneration at the apex of a scoliotic deformity after cervical anterior fusion.