Management of delayed esophageal perforations following anterior cervical spinal surgery with applied hardware

Anterior cervical spine surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures for degenerative disc disease, neoplasm, and spine trauma. Esophageal perforations are uncommon but potentially devastating complication which could occur intraoperatively, perioperatively or in a delayed manner. Them have been several reports in the literature of delayed esophageal perforations including asymptomatic hardware extrusion. Several treatment options for the repair of esophageal perforations are available but the strategy is not well defined. We present our experience of two young patients with delayed esophageal perforations following anterior cervical spine surgery for trauma with hardware placement.