Patient-specific template-guided versus standard freehand lumbar pedicle screw implantation: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Patient-specific template-guided (TG) pedicle screw placement currently achieves the highest reported accuracy in cadaveric and early clinical studies, with reports of reduced use of radiation and less surgical time. However, a clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT) eliminating potential biases is lacking. This study compares TG and standard freehand (FH) pedicle screw insertion techniques in an RCT.