CT Provides Precise Size Assessment of Implanted Titanium Alloy Pedicle Screws

Abstract

Background After performing instrumented spinal fusion with pedicle screws, postoperative imaging using CT to assess screw position may be necessary. Stainless steel implants produce significant metal artifact on CT, and the degree of distortion is at least partially dependent on the cross-sectional area of the implanted device. If the same effect occurs with titanium alloy implants, ability to precisely measure proximity of screws to adjacent structures may be adversely affected as screw size increases. Questions/purposes We therefore asked whether (1) CT provides precise measurements of true screw widths; and (2) precision degrades based on the size of the titanium implant imaged.

Dual-energy CT and ceramic or titanium prostheses material reduce CT artifacts and provide superior image quality of total knee arthroplasty

“…The second artifact that is present in patients with metal implants on computed tomography is a blooming artifact [ 2 , 5 , 22 ] (Fig. 1 ).…”

Reduction of CT Artifacts Using Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), and Polyethylene (PE) Reconstruction Plates in Oral Oncology

“…Mean HU values were measured for all ROI to determine artifact occurrence. Blooming artifacts occur due to partial volume and beam hardening effects and are dependent on the attenuation of the implanted object (27,28). They are generally assessed as their virtual growth comparing actual implant size to CT measured…”

The effect of plate fixation on supination and pronation of the feline antebrachium: a model of pancarpal arthrodesis

“…This study made use of a titanium 1.3/ 1.7 locking plate, applied as a bridge plate via a dorsal approach. This plate was chosen because titanium is known to create less of a CT (computed tomography) artefact than standard stainless-steel plates [ 18 ]. Other implant systems used for feline pancarpal arthrodesis are those that allow for interfragmentary compression and accommodate smaller screws in the distal plate holes, including the Hybrid Pancarpal Arthrodesis (1.5/ 2.0; Veterinary Instrumentation) and CastLess (1.5/2.0; Orthomed) plates [ 1 ].…”