A Spinal Surgery Table
What surgeons want, plus a roundup of 7 leading spinal tables.
I
f you're looking to outfit your OR with a table that supports mini-
mally invasive spine, ask your surgeons what types of cases they'll
be performing and what they need the table to do. Whether they
bring anterior cervical discectomies, lumbar decompressions, kypho-
plasties or lumbar interbody fusion to your ORs, they'll probably all
mention 3 factors.
• Radiolucency. A traditional OR table is constructed in part from
metal components, and metal components will obscure visualiza-
tion during intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging. Tables designed
specifically for imaging, including spine specialty tables, incorpo-
rate carbon fiber structures for radiolucency.
• C-arm compatibility. Because minimally invasive spine relies on intra-
operative imaging, the table you're operating on should allow C-arms,
X-ray machines, O-arms and other imaging equipment in and out of
the field. A cantilevered table that extends out (with a sufficient work-
ing weight capacity) from a base at the end of the table is ideal, but
make sure it will let equipment reach the patient's cervical spine.
• Positioning flexibility. Imaging isn't the only method of anatomical
exposure and access during spine surgery. Patients are placed in mul-
tiple positions: prone, supine and lateral decubitus positions, bent and
flexed, tilted to the side and even turned over, sometimes during the
course of the case. How easily and effectively can the table you're
considering do this? In addition to tables themselves, some manufac-
turers offer table accessories that can retrofit a traditional OR surface
into one that can handle specialized spine tasks. While these may
offer an economical solution, first find out whether these add-ons are
cumbersome to attach and difficult to position, which could lengthen
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Thinking of Buying …
Nitin Khanna, MD, FAAOS