Expert consensus on the clinical application of cortical bone trajectory for lumbar pedicle screws: results from a modified Delphi study.

Study design: A modified Delphi study.

Purpose: This study sought to establish expert consensus on the use of cortical bone trajectory (CBT) for lumbar pedicle screws.

Overview of literature: The CBT technique is widely used in the treatment of various degenerative lumbar diseases because it reduces surgical time, soft tissue exposure, and blood loss; improves biomechanical stability; and allows for faster patient recovery. However, as an emerging surgical technique, CBT remains controversial in terms of preoperative evaluation methods, key surgical techniques, complication prevention and treatment, postoperative follow-up, and other aspects, resulting in unclear indications and contraindications for some doctors and posing great challenges to the steady promotion of this technique.

Methods: From May 2021 to August 2021, panelists were chosen to collect expert feedback using the modified Delphi method, and 74 spine surgeons from across China agreed to participate. Four rounds were conducted: one in-person meeting and three subsequent survey rounds. Each question received at least 70.0% agreement, indicating a consensus. The grade A, B, and C recommendation were defined as having ≥90.0%, 80.0%-89.9%, and 70.0%-79.9% agreement on each question, respectively.

Results: The panelist group consisted of 74 experts, and 72, 70, and 69 questionnaires were collected in three rounds, respectively. In total, 24 questions with 59 options reached consensus after the Delphi rounds, including indications (adjacent vertebral diseases after lumbar internal fixation) and contraindications (previous surgery or bone destructive diseases lead to the destruction or absence of bone in the lamina or isthmus); advantages (intraoperative traction of paravertebral soft tissue is small) and disadvantages (not three-column fixation.); preoperative evaluation; complications; and postoperative follow-up evaluation, of CBT.

Conclusions: The modified Delphi method achieved expert consensus on the clinical use of CBT for lumbar pedicle screws. This consensus document establishes clear guidelines for indications, contraindications, surgical techniques, and postoperative management, thereby enhancing clinical decision-making and promoting the safe and effective use of CBT. While the initial study focused on Chinese surgeons, future research will seek to validate and expand these findings from a broader international perspective.