Q. What is the recommended procedure for marking spinal surgery cases?
A. For spinal surgery, we advise a two-stage marking process. First, the general level of the procedure (cervical, thoracic or lumbar) must be marked preoperatively. If the approach involves anterior versus posterior, or right versus left, then the mark must indicate this. Then, intraoperatively, the exact interspace(s) to be operated on should be precisely marked using the standard intraoperative radiographic marking technique. The requirement for the preoperative marking is based on reported cases in which a patient intended for a cervical procedure had a lumbar procedure started, and vice versa.