TY - JOUR
T1 - Gold fiducials are a unique marker for localization in the thoracic spine
T2 - A cost comparison with percutaneous vertebroplasty
AU - Macki, Mohamed
AU - Bydon, Mohamad
AU - McGovern, Kelly
AU - Abt, Nicholas
AU - de la Garza-Ramos, Rafael
AU - Naff, Neal
AU - Bydon, Ali
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2014.
PY - 2014/10/1
Y1 - 2014/10/1
N2 - We present a unique application of the gold fiducial as a preoperative, radiographic marker placed in the thoracic spine and used for intraoperative localization. In comparison to percutaneous vertebroplasty marking of thoracic spinal levels with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement, implantation of the gold fiducial is technically facile with a minimal learning curve. The fiducial markers are also associated with significantly less financial resources. Following 2013 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding, the cost of vertebroplasty under fluoroscopic guidance, $3195.43, or under computed tomography (CT) guidance, $3232.54, is more than double the cost of the gold fiducial implantation — $1237.55 and $1267.03, under similar imaging techniques, respectively. In the first description of gold fiducials in the thoracic spine, we conclude that the marker is a safe and cost-effective method for preoperative localization of the thoracic levels.
AB - We present a unique application of the gold fiducial as a preoperative, radiographic marker placed in the thoracic spine and used for intraoperative localization. In comparison to percutaneous vertebroplasty marking of thoracic spinal levels with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement, implantation of the gold fiducial is technically facile with a minimal learning curve. The fiducial markers are also associated with significantly less financial resources. Following 2013 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding, the cost of vertebroplasty under fluoroscopic guidance, $3195.43, or under computed tomography (CT) guidance, $3232.54, is more than double the cost of the gold fiducial implantation — $1237.55 and $1267.03, under similar imaging techniques, respectively. In the first description of gold fiducials in the thoracic spine, we conclude that the marker is a safe and cost-effective method for preoperative localization of the thoracic levels.
KW - Fiducial
KW - Gold
KW - Pedicle
KW - Spine
KW - Thoracic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84924101555&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84924101555&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1179/1743132814Y.0000000413
DO - 10.1179/1743132814Y.0000000413
M3 - Article
C2 - 24963696
AN - SCOPUS:84924101555
SN - 0161-6412
VL - 36
SP - 925
EP - 927
JO - Neurological research
JF - Neurological research
IS - 10
ER -