Technical Aspects on the Use of Ultrasonic Bone Shaver in Spine Surgery: Experience in 307 Patients

Abstract

Aim. We discuss technical points, the safety, and efficacy of ultrasonic bone shaver in various spinal surgeries within our own series. Methods. Between June 2010 and January 2014, 307 patients with various spinal diseases were operated on with the use of an ultrasonic bone curette with microhook shaver (UBShaver). Patients' data were recorded and analyzed retrospectively. The technique for the use of the device is described for each spine surgery procedure. Results. Among the 307 patients, 33 (10.7%) cases had cervical disorder, 17 (5.5%) thoracic disorder, 3 (0.9%) foramen magnum disorder, and 254 (82.7%) lumbar disorders. Various surgical techniques were performed either assisted or alone by UBShaver. The duration of the operations and the need for blood replacement were relatively low. The one-year follow-up with Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were improved. We had 5 cases of dural tears (1.6%) in patients with lumbar spinal disease. No neurological deficit was found in any patients. Conclusion. We recommend this device as an assistant tool in various spine surgeries and as a primary tool in foraminotomies. It is a safe device in spine surgery with very low complication rate.

Efficacy and Safety Analysis of Ultrasonic Bone Curette in the Treatment of Thoracic Spinal Stenosis

“…Although the heat generated by the ultrasonic bone cutter is lower than that produced by the high‐speed grinding drill, it still generates more heat when a large amount of bone is removed or the bone is hard, leading to prolonged operation of the cutter in the same part. To prevent the heat generated from stimulating the dura mater or spinal cord, the cutter should be operated intermittently.…”

Comparison between Hemilaminectomy with either Anulectomy or Partial Discectomy for Treatment of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Protrusion in Dogs

“…23,24 In the human medical literature, ultrasonic bone curettes have been used in skull base surgery for several years, 25 and have been introduced into spinal surgery more recently. [24][25][26][27][28] There are limited reports of the use of an ultrasonic bone curette in the veterinary literature; one study described its use in microfenestration in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion. 29 Further studies are needed to evaluate the extent of spinal cord decompression achieved with an ultrasonic bone curette compared with a pneumatic drill, as well as the perioperative risks associated with its use.…”

Soft nanocomposites of gelatin and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) nanoparticles for dual drug release

“…The release profile was analysed by the model described by Peppas [43,44,49]. The kinetic constant and release exponent obtained from fitting the curves to this model are shown in Supplementary Table SI.…”

“…For naproxen, the release exponent indicates an anomalous transport model. In the gelatin sample, besides drug diffusion, surface degradation is a heterogeneous process in which degradation (and subsequent erosion) is confined to a thin surface layer of the biopolymer [49].…”