Intraspinal pathways taken by sublaminar wires during removal. An experimental study.

The neurological complications of segmental sublaminar stabilization that have been reported by other authors led us to perform a cineradiographic study of the pathways in the spinal canal that were taken by wires as they were being removed. The single wires were removed by pulling on the wire while keeping the wire perpendicular to the lamina; by winding the wire on the wire-extractor, with the wire being kept as nearly parallel with the lamina as possible (the roll-up technique); or by pulling on the wire while keeping the wire parallel with the lamina. During removal, thirty-four single wires conformed to the lamina and forty-one single wires compressed the dura. The roll-up technique caused the most erratic pathways. Double wires, although they were removed together, assumed independent pathways unless a wire-extractor guide was used. These findings suggest that the removal of sublaminar wires may cause dural compression in the clinical situation.