Document Detail


Conventional versus digital radiographs for intraoperative cervical spine-level localization: a prospective time and cost analysis.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19716345     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: In today's health-care environment, operational efficiency is intrinsic to balancing the need for increased productivity driven by rising costs and potentially decreasing reimbursement. Other operational factors kept constant, decreasing the time for a procedure can be viewed as one marker for increased efficiency. PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the time and operating room efficiency differences between the two methods for intraoperative level localization. STYDY DESIGN: Prospective nonrandomized study. PATIENT SAMPLE: Prospective consecutive patients undergoing a single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with plate and allograft. OUTCOMES MEASURES: Time for performance and interpretation of intraoperative localization radiograph. METHODS: This is a prospective nonrandomized study of patients treated consecutively with a single-level ACDF with allograft and plating. All the patients underwent a conventional approach to the cervical spine. After exposure, a spinal needle was placed in the exposed intervertebral disc and a radiography was performed. Either a conventional or a digital radiography was used in each case. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were enrolled in this study. Ten patients underwent localization with conventional radiography, whereas eight patients underwent localization with digital imaging. The mean time for conventional radiography was 823 seconds (standard deviation [SD], 159), and for digital, it was 100 seconds (SD, 34; p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Current technology provides options for level localization. Digital imaging provides equally accurate information as conventional radiography in a significantly reduced amount of time. Image quality, ease or archival, and manipulation provided by digital radiography are superior to those by provided fluoroscopy. Keeping operational factors constant, decreasing the time for a procedure, and increasing the efficiency of the environment may be viewed as a surrogate for improving the cost basis for a procedure.
Authors:
Michael P Steinmetz; Thomas E Mroz; Ajit Krishnaney; Michael Modic
Related Documents :
16331305 - Cervical angina: a seemingly still neglected symptom of cervical spine disorder?
15145015 - Comparison of manual and mechanical cervical esophagogastric anastomosis after esophage...
6731055 - Long-term results of the surgical treatment of syringohydromyelia.
14752365 - Surgical management of dissociated motor loss following complex cervical spine reconstr...
12378445 - First experiences in intraoperative neurostimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve d...
1944995 - Intra-operative ultrasonography of the liver: a prerequisite for surgery of colorectal ...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article     Date:  2009-08-27
Journal Detail:
Title:  The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society     Volume:  9     ISSN:  1878-1632     ISO Abbreviation:  Spine J     Publication Date:  2009 Dec 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-11-25     Completed Date:  2010-01-26     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101130732     Medline TA:  Spine J     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  967-71     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Center for Spine Health, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. steinmm@ccf.org
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Cervical Vertebrae / radiography*,  surgery
Costs and Cost Analysis*
Diskectomy / economics,  methods*
Female
Humans
Intraoperative Period
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Radiographic Image Enhancement / economics,  methods*
Spinal Fusion / economics,  methods*
Time and Motion Studies*
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Spine J. 2009 Dec;9(12):1035-6   [PMID:  19766061 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Age and gender differences in initial symptoms and precipitant factors of epileptic seizures: an Aus...
Next Document:  Impact of type of atrial fibrillation and repeat catheter ablation on long-term freedom from atrial ...