Cauda equina syndrome a rare early surgical complication in a pediatric patient with dysplastic high-grade lumbosacral spondylolisthesis: A case report

Recent literature supports the surgical reduction of high-grade spondylolisthesis, particularly with an unbalanced pelvis and spine. Drop foot is the most common neurological complication reported in the literature. Scoliosis Research Society database reported only one patient (child) with cauda equina syndrome after surgery for dysplastic high-grade lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. The lack of longitudinal clinical follow-up of that patient limited their result. There is another report of 12 cauda equina syndrome cases after in situ arthrodesis for lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. The current report is the first case in the literature of cauda equina syndrome after partial reduction of dysplastic high-grade lumbosacral spondylolisthesis in a child. The aim was to raise awareness of the possibility of this post-operative complication happening in children and the possibility of avoiding it. A child who developed a cauda equina syndrome as an early neurological complication after surgery, which recovered completely 6 weeks after revision surgery, is reported. During the revision surgery, an L5-S1 transforaminal interbody fusion was performed by insertion of polyetheretherketone cage. Bilateral anal compound muscle action potential is seen after implant removal and sacral dome resection. Using somatosensory, motor evoked potential and continuous electromyogram for both rectal and external bladder sphincters in children with high-grade lumbosacral dysplastic spondylolisthesis undergoing surgical reduction are important to prevent a devastating neurological complication. Sacral dome resection and appropriate L5-S1 discectomy prevent stretching of the cauda equina over the posterosuperior border of the sacrum postoperatively.