Pedicle screw loosening: the value of radiological imagings and the identification of risk factors assessed by extraction torque during screw removal surgery

Abstract

Our findings showed that both X-ray and CT scan had high specificity for screw loosening detection, but their sensitivities were relatively low. Surgeons needed to be more cautious when assessing screw loosening merely according to radiological examination, and aware of that screws in fractured vertebrae or non-fusion surgery were vulnerable to loosening.