TY - JOUR T1 - Thoracic disc herniation: An unusual complication after prone positioning in spinal surgery JF - International Journal of Spine Surgery JO - Int J Spine Surg DO - 10.14444/3039 VL - 10 SP - 39 AU - Ameya S. Kamat AU - Mohammed Zahier Ebrahim AU - Adriaan J. Vlok Y1 - 2016/01/01 UR - http://ijssurgery.com//content/10/39.abstract N2 - Neurological complications of the prone position have been well documented. Post-operative paraplegia and neurological deterioration unrelated to the site of surgery after proning in spinal surgery is a rare but potentially devastating complication. We describe the case of a 47 year old female who underwent an L4/5 discectomy and posterior instrumented fusion. A few hours after surgery she developed bilateral lower limb weakness with a T11 sensory level. Post-operative MRI revealed an acute disc herniation at the T11/12 level with associated spinal cord compression. This was not present on the pre-operative imaging. A subsequent T11/12 discectomy and instrumented fusion was performed and the patient's motor and sensory function returned to normal. ER -