Quantifying Radiation Exposure in Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery: A Single-Surgeon Study of Minimally Invasive...

In the advancement of spinal surgery, minimally invasive techniques such as the oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLLIF) have emerged, offering improved clinical outcomes and the use of dual C-Arm intraoperative imaging. Despite the benefits, the radiation exposure to surgeons and staff from this dual-source imaging has not been thoroughly examined. This study aims to quantify the radiation exposure received by surgeons during OLLIF procedures, filling a gap in current research that primarily focuses on single-source imaging. Over 12 months, radiation doses were measured across 121 surgeries at four locations. Data analysis included average radiation exposure per surgery and variations across surgical sites. The findings showed an average radiation emission of 198.78 mGy per OLLIF surgery, with the surgeon receiving approximately 0.06 mSv per surgery. Cumulative doses for the surgeon were below the safety thresholds set by European and American standards. The significance of these findings lies in their contribution to the understanding of occupational safety in spinal surgery. The results indicate that with proper protective measures, such as lead aprons, the radiation exposure from the OLLIF technique is manageable within occupational limits. This study highlights the importance of monitoring radiation exposure and may influence the development of new guidelines and protective strategies in the field. Future research could expand the cohort of surgeons to validate these findings, develop new protective strategies, and explore radiation exposure in more complex multi-level fusions.