Efficacy of Preoperative CT Imaging in Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery

The aging of society has increased the number of cases of cervical spine disorder. Improved surgery, including cervical laminoplasty for posterior decompression, has resulted in favorable outcomes in many cases (Hirabayashi et al. 1981, Kurokawa et al.1983). Instrumentation such as pedicle screws used in lumbar surgery has also been developed for treatment of cervical deformities caused by aging (Abumi et al.1994 & 1997). However, increased use of these surgical methods has also increased the risk of complications (Abumi et al.2000), which must be avoided to obtain good surgical results. Preoperative evaluation using CT imaging is important in cervical spine surgery, since this spine includes the spinal cord and vertebral artery, damage to which has the risk of tetraplegia or may be life threatening (unlike the cauda equina in the lumbar spine). The efficacy and key points of CT imaging for preventing postoperative complications in cervical spine surgery are discussed in this chapter.