A low invasiveness patient's specific template for spine surgery

Area of Science:

• Spinal Surgery
• Medical Device Design
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Free-hand pedicle screw placement carries high risks due to limitations in 2D medical imaging.
• Computer-assisted systems exist but can be complex and costly.
• Digital technology offers potential to improve accuracy and reduce manual intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, analyze, manufacture, and evaluate a patient-specific drill guide template for lumbar pedicle screw placement.
• To compare the accuracy of the novel template against the free-hand technique under fluoroscopy.
• To assess the potential for reducing intraoperative risks associated with pedicle screw insertion.

Main Methods:

• Development of a patient-specific drill guide template using additive manufacturing technology.
• Clinical verification of the template's accuracy in lumbar and sacral regions.
• Comparison of the template-guided technique with the conventional free-hand method using fluoroscopic guidance.

Main Results:

• The novel drill guide template demonstrated a substantial reduction in cortex perforation incidence.
• The patient-specific template proved accurate and reliable for pedicle screw placement.
• The additive manufacturing approach enabled efficient template creation and verification.

Conclusions:

• The developed patient-specific drill guide template offers a significant improvement over free-hand pedicle screw placement.
• This technology substantially lowers the incidence of cortex perforation, enhancing surgical safety.
• The approach shows strong potential for clinical application in selected spinal surgery cases.