• Guodong Zhang, Zhengxi Yu, Xuanhuang Chen, Xu Chen, Changfu Wu, Yijun Lin, Wenhua Huang, and Haibin Lin.
• Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University Teaching Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Affiliated Putian Hospital of Southern Medical University, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, 351100, Putian, Fujian, China.
• Orthopade. 2018 May 1; 47 (5): 428-436.

ObjectiveAccurate placement of cervical pedicle screws remains a surgical challenge. This study aimed to test the feasibility of using a novel three-dimensional (3D-)printed navigational template to overcome this challenge.MethodsCervical spines were scanned using computed tomography (CT). A 3D model of the cervical spines was created. The screw trajectory was designed to pass through the central axis of the pedicle. Thereafter, a navigational template was designed by removing the soft tissue from the bony surface in the 3D model. A 3D printer was used to print the navigational template. The screws were then placed in the cadavers following CT scanning. The 3D model of the designed trajectory and the placed screws were registered. The coordinates of the entry and exit points of the designed trajectory and the actual trajectory were recorded. The numbers of qualified points that met the different degrees of accuracy were compared using a χ2 test.ResultsA total of 158 screws were placed. Five screws breached the pedicle cortex with a distance <2 mm. There was no significant difference between the pre- and postoperative entry points with a degree of accuracy ≥1.7 mm (P = 0.131). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the pre- and postoperative exit points with degrees of accuracy ≥6.4 mm (P = 0.071).ConclusionA navigational template can be designed by removing the soft tissue from the bony surface in a CT-generated 3D model. This guiding tool may effectively prevent intraoperative drifting and accurately places cervical pedicle screws.

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