Use of electronic conductivity devices effectively reduces radiation exposure in vertebral body tethering

The authors commented - "Of note, the ECD cannot distinguish between the contralateral cortical breach or a possible breach in the cranial or caudal disk spaces or toward the spinal cord. Thus, even when using the ECD, AP and lateral X-rays are still required at the beginning of the threading to ensure that the trajectory is correct and runs parallel to the end plates. When the ECD gives the auditive signal that indicates the breach of the contralateral cortex, one more AP view is taken to confirm the correct trajectory and measure the length of the respective screw."

Key findings of the study were:

• Data from 62 patients and 825 screws were obtained (397 with ECD).

• No screw misplacement was observed.

• Radiation reduction with ECD reached up to 41%.

• A significant reduction was observed in the radiation per procedure in bilateral instrumentation (from 9.16 to 5.52 mGy*m2 ), and in the analysis per screw overall (from 9.16 to 5.52 mGy*m2 ) and for lumbar curves (from 0.54 to 0.32 mGy*m2 ).

The authors concluded that – “the present study shows that the use of ECD can effectively reduce the radiation exposure while maintaining the same level of safety achieved with the standard technique, namely the use of fluoroscopic guidance.”

Further reading:

The use of electronic conductivity devices can effectively reduce radiation exposure in vertebral body tethering

Stephanie Da Paz, Per Trobisch et al

European Spine Journal

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-022-07489-0