Cervical Pedicle Screws: Conventional Versus Computer-Assisted Placement of Cannulated Screws

Abstract

Transpedicular screws in the cervical spine and cervicothoracic junction can be applied safely and with high accuracy in a conventional technique. Cannulated screws and the use of separate stab incisions from C3-C6 with a trocar system allow for reduced screw misplacement rates. The CAS system leads to significantly reduced screw misplacement rates. Therefore, because of the potential risk of injury to the vertebral artery and neural elements, the use of a CAS system seems to be beneficial, especially for pedicle instrumentation C3-C6.