Intelligently Taking Out Universal Screws and Nail Caps After Spine Internal Fixation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to present a surgical technique for taking out universal screw and nail caps which were difficult to removed. We used a variety of industrial hex wrenches, dental drills, and other equipment to take out internal hex nuts with different specifications (32 pieces) and universal screws (15 pieces) in 28 patients. A total of 32 nuts were taken out, 3 of which were polished by the industrial drill. A total of 17 were spun by hand, 2 were spun by locking pliers, 10 were turned by “I” type screwdriver, and 3 were turned by bone blade. A total of 15 screws were taken out, 9 of which were removed with a wrench and the other 6 by means of locking pliers after re‐fixing with a truncated titanium rod. The novel technique is simple and provides a solution following failure of a supporting device.

Keywords

• Novel technique
• Pedicle screw
• Spinal fixation