Below is a synopsis of “Beyond the Cervicothoracic Junction” published in the December 2022 issue. Clinical spine surgery by Vickery et al.
The cervicothoracic junction is a region of the spine that presents a unique set of obstacles that must be overcome during surgery compared to other parts of the spine. This segment of the spine is also known as the cervicothoracic junction (CTJ). Variations in the biomechanical properties, bone structure, and alignment of the spine in this region all cause problems unique to this region of the spine when it comes to surgical instruments.
Surgical decision-making is currently driven by ever-expanding information when constructs approach or indeed cross the CTJ. This is true regardless of whether the construct is near his CTJ or crosses it. On the other hand, there is now more information available to support surgical decision-making regarding CTJ. Until very recently, it was common to use anecdotal information to influence decisions about instrumentation near or across the CTJ.
This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of measuring the CTJ as a whole and provides an analysis of the most common instrument designs and clinical indications for their implementation. Additionally, this article discusses clinical indications for implementing these designs. In addition to this, the researchers also provide a discussion of specific anatomical and biomechanical aspects of his CTJ in their article.
sauce: journals.lww.com/jspinaldisorders/Fulltext/2022/12000/Crossing_the_Cervicothoraic_Junction__A_Review_of.11.aspx
