Surgery-Related Neurosurgical Complications in Elderly Patients: Definition of Risk Factors and Importance of Preoperative Assessments

Purpose: To reveal the surgical complications that may be encountered in neurosurgical patients over 60 years of age and to discuss them according to literature. Materials and Methods: The files of 283 patients over 60 years of age who underwent neurosurgical operation in our clinic were reviewed. According to surgery type, they were evaluated in 3 different groups as cranial, spinal and peripheral nerve surgery. The stages of the emergence of complications were evaluated in 3 groups: early hospitalization, late hospitalization, and late period complications. Results: 117 patients underwent cranial, 52 patients underwent spinal and 114 patients underwent peripheral nerve surgery. Depending on the applied surgical technique, the rates of complications were determined. In patients who underwent cranial surgery, there was no significant difference between the number of complications encountered in early postoperative and post-discharge periods. Wound site infection was the most common complication. In the patients whose Karnofsky score is low, the incidence of additional neurological deficit development was found to be significantly higher. The postoperative recovery period was found to be prominently longer. Conclusion: Additional methods may need to be used to prevent the development of neurosurgical complications in elderly patients. Among those complications, wound infection is the most common. The Karnofsky score assessment is one of the most important parameters in predicting the quality and length of life in the postoperative period for cranial and spinal surgeries