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Monitoring image guidance system accuracy during spinal surgery with mini-screw fiducials: technical note
Ioannis G Sergides1, Davor D Saravanja, William R Sears
1Wentworth Spine Clinic, Dalcross Adventist Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. ysergides@hotmail.com
Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques
|August 3, 2012
Summary
This technical note introduces a method using mini-screw fiducials to measure intraoperative image guidance accuracy in spine surgery. This technique ensures reliable system performance throughout complex procedures, reducing radiation exposure.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Medical Imaging
- Surgical Navigation
Background:
- Intraoperative image guidance systems are valuable for complex spine surgeries.
- System accuracy can degrade during surgery, particularly after deformity correction.
- This unreliability often leads to repeated imaging, increasing patient radiation exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a novel technique for assessing the accuracy of intraoperative image guidance systems during spine surgery.
- To provide a method for surgeons to verify system precision throughout a procedure.
Main Methods:
- A technical note describing a new method for accuracy measurement.
- Placement of small titanium, cranio-facial screws as fiducials on the spine's dorsal aspect before image acquisition.
- Utilizing an intraoperative computed tomography scanner for imaging.
Main Results:
- The described technique allows for accurate determination of image guidance system precision.
- The method enables continuous monitoring of accuracy throughout the surgical procedure.
- Demonstrated ability to discern the true precision of the image guidance system.
Conclusions:
- Intraoperatively placed mini-screw fiducials enable surgeons to check and quantify system accuracy.
- This method can be applied both initially and throughout the surgical process.
- Future integration of "auto-adjust" functions could enable automatic recalibration, minimizing the need for rescanning.
