Using the transverse processes of fresh porcine lumbar spines as an experimental model we evaluated the heat generated by a rotating burr of a high-speed drill in cutting the bone. The temperature at the drilled site reached 174 degrees C with a diamond burr and 77 degrees C with a steel burr. With water irrigation at a flow rate of 540 ml/hr an effective reduction in the temperature was achieved whereas irrigation with water at 180 ml/hr was much less effective. There was a significant negative correlation between the thickness of the residual bone and the temperature measured at its undersurface adjacent to the drilling site (p < 0.001). Our data suggest that tissues neighbouring the drilled bone, especially nerve roots, can be damaged by the heat generated from the tip of a high-speed drill. Nerve-root palsy, one of the most common complications of cervical spinal surgery, may be caused by thermal damage to nerve roots arising in this manner.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.