Anzeige
Erschienen in:
01.09.2006 | Original Article
Localisation of spinal level in lumbar microdiscectomy
Erschienen in: European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology | Ausgabe 3/2006
Einloggen, um Zugang zu erhaltenAbstract
The microsurgical approach for removal of prolapsed lumbar disc has gained popularity because of its various advantages. Localisation of the correct level is vital for the success of this procedure. We performed an audit to review our practice regarding the localisation of correct level in lumbar microdiscectomy. Twenty-eight patients were included in this study. Nearly, two-third of the patients had needles as pre-operative marker of localisation and in more than 50% the needle was inserted perpendicular to the floor. When using a needle to localise the spinal level, care should be taken to insert it perpendicular to the floor or parallel to the disc space to avoid approaching the wrong level. The gold standard is an intraoperative lateral fluoroscopy of the spine with a marker in the disc space.