Use of O-arm with neuronavigation in percutaneous vertebroplasty reduces the surgeon’s exposure to intraoperative radiation

Abstract

IntroductionPercutaneous vertebroplasty is commonly used to treat spinal fractures. The authors compare radiation exposure as potential risk for the surgical team during vertebroplasty guided by O-arm combined with neuronavigation versus vertebroplasty guided by C-arm fluoroscopy.Material and methodsThe clinical material consisted of a group of 29 patients (44 vertebrae) with fractures of the thoracolumbar spine treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty guided by O-arm with neuronavigation. In this new method, the operating room staff leaves the operating room for the duration of the 3D scan of the appropriate spine section using the O-arm. In the next stage, the needle of the vertebroplasty system is introduced using only neuronavigation without the need for a radiological view. Finally, the cement injection was made under O-arm fluoroscopic control. The comparison group consisted of a group of 35 patients (40 vertebrae) treated with the classical method using C-arm fluoroscopy. The two methods were compared in terms of the average dose of emitted ionizing radiation through the device (O-arm vs. C-arm) to which surgeons are exposed during percutaneous vertebroplasty.ResultsAs a result of vertebroplasty procedures guided by neuronavigation, a statistically significant difference between the values of mean dose of radiation emitted by O-arm and C-arm systems was noted. The O-arm emitted 912 cGy/cm2 vs. 1722 cGy/cm2 emitted by the C-arm during fluoroscopically assisted procedures and 601.28 cGy/cm2 vs. 1506.86 cGy/cm2 per vertebrae.ConclusionsDuring vertebroplasty with the O-arm combined with neuronavigation the radiation dose is significantly lower as compared with the C-arm used for fluoroscopic guidance, minimizing the potential risk of radiation exposure to surgeons.