Sinusitis after Cervical Discectomy?

[donna]

Hi, I have been searching the internet for this question for a long time, and am wondering* if ANY sinus problems such as constant drainage down back of throat, (and alot of it) could occur after a cervical discectomy of.. c6/c7. I never had this before until i had this done. Its so* bad it is going into my left ear. My Dr. put me on Alegra, but it didnt do much good except to make it thicker going down. This is driving me up a wall!
thanks
donna :)

[Dr. Joshua]

Hi Donna, thanks for your question. Special mention to you for being the first poster ever on the Ask Doctor Joshua forum!!

It seems unlikely. There are some remote possibilities such as if you had a nasal intubation (breathing tube through the nose), some sinus problems could conceivably result as a complication if something was damaged. However, chances are it's just a coincidence. Common causes of persistent sinusitis include allergies, anatomic reasons such as deviated septum (bent middle cartilage), cysts and so on. Constant postnasal drip (i.e. drainage down back of throat) is not sufficient to diagnose sinusitis - have you had an x-ray taken, or drainage, to confirm it is indeed sinusitis? If this is a constant problem, make sure you get a consultation with an ear, nose and throat specialist in order to find out what's causing it.

Difficulty in swallowing and feeling of lump in throat are fairly common complications of anterior cervical discectomy, but these very rarely last more than a maximum of a couple of months. Sinusitis on the other hand is not a recognized complication, and the above mentioned mechanism is the only possibility I can even remotely think of.

Have a word with your primary care physician and discuss a consultation with an ENT specialist.

Good luck!
Dr. Joshua

[donna]

Hi, and Im pleased to know I am the first!!! I did have an intibation tube, and as a matter of fact, upon removing the tube they paralyzed my right vocal chord! Know i am aware things happen from surgery, but this nuerosurgeon led me to believe I must be getting asthma, because I was having trouble breathing. I could hardly dress myself with out gasping for air. I had to sit down and dress slowly. I had to almost slow down to a crawl when walking, because i was running out of breath just doing normal things. I could not carry groceries unless they were very light, and very few. I finally got mad one day at Drs. office and told him, I barely made it in the place, that if he wanted test ran, to make them now, because I couldnt make the walk in there, Its at a hospital clinic so its a good walk to get there. This went on from august of 2005, until october, I was being treated for Asthma with an inhaler that wasnt doing any good, so they hospitalized me and found I had a paralyzed right vocal chord. I t has gotten better, but this drainage, and its severe, is still going on today. What do you think? Ive seen an ENT, and he says I might need tubes in my ears, but then I"ll still have drainage down my throat. This is more aggravating than the arm pain I have because of scoliosis, which is why I had the disc removal. I do smoke but Ill never believe that this is the culprit, not all of a sudden after this surgery.
Thanks so much for your answers , I do appreciate it
Donna :)

[Dr. Joshua]

It seems more likely that your vocal chord paralysis may have been due to the operation itself. It's called recurrens palsy and it means that the vocal chord nerve is damaged by the operation - it is a well-known complication of anterior cervical discectomy. Of course, if your doctors are convinced it was the intubation tube, then maybe it was. I'm glad it's getting better though - it almost always does, with time.

I can't think of a mechanism bu which this sinusitis problem could be related to your surgery, my guess is it's just a coincidence, but of course I cannot be 100% sure. I'm happy that you are seeing an ENT specialist about this, and there's nothing more I can add to this I'm afraid - keep talking to your doctors to get to the bottom of this.