Navigated Lateral Osteotomy for Adult Spinal Deformity: A Technical Note.

Area of Science:

• Spine surgery
• Minimally invasive surgical techniques
• Orthopedic surgery

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is increasingly used to reduce complications in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery.
• Lateral osteotomy is crucial for releasing fused vertebrae in MIS for ASD.
• A novel navigated lateral osteotomy technique is presented for ASD correction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel navigated lateral osteotomy technique for adult spinal deformities.
• To evaluate the efficacy of this technique in a clinical case.
• To highlight the benefits of avoiding intraoperative radiation in spinal surgery.

Main Methods:

• A navigated osteotome was utilized for lateral osteotomy.
• The procedure was performed without intraoperative C-arm fluoroscopy.
• Correction of adult spinal deformity in a patient with severe low back pain.

Main Results:

• Successful surgical treatment of a 68-year-old woman with symptomatic ASD.
• Significant improvement in Oswestry Disability Index (64% to 19%) and Visual Analog Scale (74 mm to 19 mm) for low back pain.
• The navigated lateral osteotomy facilitated MIS for a fixed spinal deformity.

Conclusions:

• The novel navigated lateral osteotomy is a valuable technique for MIS in fixed adult spinal deformities.
• This technique allows surgeons and staff to avoid the adverse effects of intraoperative radiation.
• Improved patient outcomes were observed, with significant pain reduction and functional improvement.