Complications of Therapies for Spinal Lipoma in Children

Surgical

• Complications typically limited to those associated with wound healing: Complications linked to surgical intervention are rare and mainly consist of wound-associated issues, such as postponed healing, CSF leakage, and wound breakdown, with superficial or deep infection.
• Neuropathic pain, new muscle weakness, or increased bladder/bowel dysfunction uncommon: Other complications, seen in less than 5% of surgeries, involve the onset of new muscular weakness, neuropathic pain, and a decline in urinary or bowel functions (2,33).
• Postsurgical deformity of spine unlikely: Postsurgical deformity of the spine is rare following lipoma surgery.

Other Therapies

• Observation without surgery: Lipomas showing no symptoms have a 10-year deterioration likelihood ranging between 33% and 60% (2,25,26).