Infection: to the wound or deeper down in the bone (uncommon)
Bleeding: superficial bruising, or deep which may require a second operation because it has resulted impairment of function from spinal cord compression.
Permanent neurological injury: weakness, numbness, paralysis due to injury of the neural structures (rare)
CSF leak: leakage of the spinal fluid bathing the spinal cord. Rarely a second operation is required to correct this.
Instrument failure/malposition: this is very rare but may require a second operation to reposition hardware and promote stabilization.
Respiratory complications from thoracotomy including pneumonia, pneumothorax, haemothorax