• Dong-Dong Xia, Mei-Jun Yan, Jing-Jie Zhang, Feng Zhou, Hong-Ming Xu, Yong-Li Wang, Jun Tan, and Xiang-Yang Wang.
• Department of Spinal Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 150# Jimo RD, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 200120, People's Republic of China.
• Eur Spine J. 2016 Jun 1; 25 (6): 1661-4.

PurposeTo describe and illustrate a modified technique for using translaminar screw in the cervicothoracic junction (C7-T2).Methods12 patients (8 males and 4 females, average age was 52 years) underwent insertion of unilateral or bilateral translaminar screws by using our modified technique. With this modified technique, a tiny unicortical "hole" was made at the middle of the contralateral lamina, and the screw can be directly visualized through the unicortical "hole" to prevent violating the spinal canal.ResultsWith this modified technique, the mean operation time was 205 min (range 145-360) and mean estimated blood loss was 445 ml (range 260-1250). The mean length of the laminar screws was 27 (range 24-30) mm. The results of the 12 patients with an average follow-up of 17 (6-33) months demonstrated this modified technique to be safe and effective in the fixation of cervicothoracic junction.ConclusionIn this modified technique, a tiny unicortical "hole" which was made at the middle of the dorsal lamina of cervicothoracic junction (C7-T2). By directly visualizing the screw inserting against the dorsal cortices of the lamina, this modified technique can reduce the risk of violation of the spinal canal and shorten the operation time.

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