Objective:

This study aims to determine the effect of lumbar computed tomography of the cases subjected to early postoperative lumbar fusion surgery on the re-operation rate and to establish the rate of early malposition.

Material and methods:

Sixty-five cases, which underwent posterior stabilization according to indications with the operations carried out in our department between 2014 and 2017, and 476 transpedicular screws files with 238 levels were evaluated retrospectively.

Results:

It was found out that, 37 cases were operated under anterior- and posterior-controlled fluoroscopy (A-P) and that only 28 cases underwent operation with laterally controlled fluoroscopy. Lumbar thin-slice bone tomography was produced for all the cases as postoperative control. It was found out that single level transpedicular screw moved from safe range to medial in seven cases, and four of these patients were taken to revision surgery due to postoperative leg pain. Two cases were determined to have single transpedicular screws moved to lateral, and revision surgery was not deemed necessary for no clinical finding was present. It was determined that nine instruments with screw malposition developed only in laterally controlled fluoroscopy cases. The length of hospital stay was calculated to be 3.1 ± 0.7 days. The screw malposition rate was 0.1 %.

Conclusion:

Indication-free postoperative lumbar CT imaging for patients without any clinical finding will decrease in case A-P and lateral fluoroscopy utilization and, in particular, the interpretation of images are taught to other surgeons by spinal surgeons in clinics.

Keywords: Spinal fusion, diagnosis, radiologic imaging.