Accuracy of CT-assisted pedicle screw placement after CT-controlled, presurgical guide wire implantation in traumatic and pathological fractures in the thoracic spine.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of pedicle screw placement after computed tomography (CT)-assisted positioning of guide wires and subsequent insertion of transpedicular screws in particularly narrow pedicles in the thoracic spine. Transpedicular pedicle screw placement has been commonly used for a number of decades. However, a significant number of malpositioned screws still occur, especially in the thoracic spine, potentially correlating with relevant complications, e.

[Thoracolumbar spine injuries].

Traumatic injuries of the thoracolumbar spine are often complex and affect the bony structures and disco-ligamentous structures of the spine. In addition to adequate primary therapy, the appropriate choice of diagnostic procedures and treatment methods, which take the particular biomechanical characteristics of the individual fracture type into consideration, is essential for successful outcome and thereby the restoration of patient quality of life. In the case of a surgical indication, the procedure can be performed either in one or two sessions and can include dorsal, ventral or combined dorso-ventral spondylodesis.

Chance Fracture of the Upper Thoracic Spine in a Child.

We report on a three-year-old girl who fell accidentally from the fourth floor. She suffered multiple trauma, including severe head injury, unstable T2-T3 Chance fracture, pneumothorax with lung contusion and serial rib fractures on the left side, liver laceration, splenic injury and fracture of the sacral bone on the right side. The progressive intracranial pressure was released by trepanation and bifrontal craniectomy.

A CT-free, intra-operative planning and navigation system for minimally invasive anterior spinal surgery - an accuracy study.

Objective: A comprehensive study was performed to evaluate the accuracy of a newly developed CT-free, intra-operative planning and navigation system for anterior spine surgery.

Materials And Methods: Instruments and an image intensifier were tracked using the SurgiGATE navigation system. A laboratory study was performed on 27 plastic vertebrae.

Computer-assisted, fluoroscopy-based ventral spondylodesis of thoracolumbar fractures.

Objective: To design and evaluate a novel computer-assisted, fluoroscopy-based planning and navigation system for minimally invasive ventral spondylodesis of thoracolumbar fractures.

Materials And Methods: Instruments and an image intensifier are tracked with the SurgiGATE navigation system (Praxim-Medivision). Two fluoroscopic images, one acquired from anterior-posterior (AP) direction and the other from lateral-medial (LM) direction, are used for the complete procedure of planning and navigation.