title: The use of MRI-compatible titanium segmental spinal instrumentation in pediatric patients with intraspinal tumor.
abstract: Severe kyphosis is a frequent complication of multiple laminectomies for the treatment of intraspinal tumors in growing children. Early Segmental Spinal Instrumentation (SSI) and posterior spinal fusion can prevent this complication, but because of ferromagnetic properties of conventional stainless steel implants, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed to determine completeness of the resection and later for recurrence of the tumor becomes difficult. To overcome the problems with postoperative imaging, we have resorted to early stabilization of the spine following laminectomy with titanium alloy implants. The decreased ferromagnetic properties of titanium alloy result in less scatter distortion of the image, thus permitting a better follow-up of the tumor. This paper reports five consecutive patients with stabilization of the spine with titanium alloy implants and posterior spinal fusion done at the time of laminectomy. The use of titanium alloy implants in these patients allowed detailed MRI follow-up in all cases, and in two patients offered the surgical team information that altered or affected the patient's care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Torpey
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dormans
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Drummond
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007796:Laminectomy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011859:Radiography; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium