Accuracy of Pedicle Screw Placement Using Intraoperative CT-Guided Navigation and Conventional Fluoroscopy for Lumbar Spondylosis

. 2021 Aug 25;13(8):e17431.


doi: 10.7759/cureus.17431.


eCollection 2021 Aug.

Affiliations

Item in Clipboard

Ashwaq Alqurashi et al.


Cureus.


.

Abstract

Background Transpedicular screws are a common adjunct for lumbar spine fusion. Accurate screw placement to prevent neurological injury has been the subject of many studies. The adoption of spine neuronavigation has shown a significant decrease in screw malposition morbidity. We aim to evaluate the accuracy of pedicle screw insertion using intraoperative CT-guided navigation in lumbar spondylosis. Methods We reviewed a prospective registry-based cohort study. This included patients who underwent transpedicular screws insertion for lumbar spondylosis under intraoperative CT-guided navigation (iCT-Nav) and compared it to another group operated using conventional fluoroscopy (FS) over one year. In addition, the correlation between clinical outcome using the visual analog scale (VAS) and short 12 physical component scores (SF-12 PCS) and hospital stay was reported. Results Fifteen patients were included in the iCT-Nav group compared to 42 patients in the FS group. The median age of the iCT-Nav group was 59.3 years old (27-76 years) versus 45 years old (20-60 years) in the FS group. The number of screws was 98 in the iCT-Nav group and 252 screws in the FS group. Based on more than 2-mm breach increments measured on CT images, lumbar pedicular screw placement accuracy was 100% in the iCT-Nav group and 86.9% in the FS group. None of the patients in the iCT-Nav group had to undergo any postoperative revisions. On the other hand, two patients of the FS group developed new postoperative symptoms related to displaced screws and required readmission and revision surgery. Conclusion In a commonly performed pedicular fixation in lumbar spondylosis, iCT-Nav has been shown to improve the accuracy of pedicle screw placement, hospital stay, and functional outcomes compared to FS.


Keywords:

conventional fluoroscopy; intraoperative ct; navigation; pedicle screws accuracy; spine.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures


Figure 1



Figure 1. Case illustration of a 55-year-old female presented with low back pain and bilateral radiculopathy due to L4-5 spondylolisthesis as demonstrated in the sagittal (A) and axial T2-weighted MRI. Intraoperative image acquisition was obtained (C) using iCT-Nav, and TPS placement was performed (D). Screws placements were checked (E), and then the procedure was completed with underwent decompression and fusion.

iCT-Nav: intraoperative CT-guided navigation; TPS: transpedicular screws


Figure 2



Figure 2. Intraoperative CT-guided navigation group, Gertzbein-Robbins classification of screw breach at lumbar spine, stratified by vertebrae level (L1 to L5).


Figure 3



Figure 3. Conventional fluoroscopy group, Gertzbein-Robbins classification of screw breach at lumbar spine, stratified by vertebrae level (L1 to L5).

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