Cranio-spinal migration of a metallic clip placed during arteriovenous malformation resection - A case report, review of the literature, and management strategies.
BACKGROUND
Microclip placement during AVM resection is generally accepted to be a safe practice in neurosurgery. Here, we describe an unusual complication involving cranio-spinal clip migration discovered five years after the initial AVM surgery.


METHODS
A 53-year-old man underwent resection of a superior vermian AVM that required the placement of two microclips during the procedure. Five years after surgery, the patient suffered from descending sensory radiculopathy that resolved spontaneously. The workup revealed cranio-spinal migration of one of the previously placed microclips.


CONCLUSIONS
AVM clip migration is a rare phenomenon; however, the diagnosis should be entertained in patients with posterior fossa instrumentation who suffer from unusual neurologic symptoms.
Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston MA 02115, USA. cchen10@bidmc.harvard.edu
Clark C
CC
Chen
Pascal O
PO
Zinn
Ekkehard M
EM
Kasper
Christopher S
CS
Ogilvy
D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000209:etiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000009:adverse effects*