Image-guided spinal stabilization

Abstract

With image guidance technology, surgeons are able to correlate surgical anatomy with radiographic images in vivo during surgery. Image guidance provides valuable intraoperative feedback to the surgeon and can help guide different tasks in spinal surgery procedures including dissection of the spinal anatomy in revision cases, location of the skin incisions in minimally invasive cases, and placement of instrumentation in fusion cases. Due to its increased accuracy, usability, and efficiency, image guidance technology has been gaining popularity among surgeons performing various procedures. As this technology has become more efficient and user-friendly, its use in spinal surgery has increased. However, the adoption of spinal navigation into a surgeon’s practice does involve a learning curve, which can create frustration. Accordingly, some surgeons will abandon this technology before they overcome this learning curve. In this chapter, we will review the key concepts that are critical in performing image-guided spinal surgeries successfully. The authors hope this chapter serves as a guide for spine surgeons hoping to adopt image guidance as a part of their armamentarium.