Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Radio-diagnosis

Objective: To assess the role of multi- detector computed tomography (MDCT) in the evaluation of postoperative spine with orthopedic hardware in comparison to the routine conventional plain radiography. Material and Methods: This prospective study included 50 patients with postoperative spine. All subjects were evaluated by conventional radiography and MDCT. Volumetric raw data were acquired in the helical mode (16 slices per tube rotation) with thin collimation and were transferred from the PACS to a separate dedicated post-processing workstation. All patients were evaluated for spine bony fusion, malplacement of pedicular screws and other complications. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between MDCT and conventional radiography in the evaluation of bone fusion and malplacement screws. Compared to re operating surgical findings, MDCT identified eight malplaced screws while radiography detects five screws. Conclusion: Multi- detector computed tomography (MDCT) was valuable in the evaluation of postoperative spine with orthopedic hardware in comparison to the routine conventional plain radiography

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