Spine surgeons test new CT technique to catch hidden instability during surgery

NCT ID NCT07644507

Diagnosis Sponsor: 4th Military Clinical Hospital with Polyclinic, Poland Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether CT scans taken during lumbar spine surgery can detect spinal instability more reliably than standard X-rays taken before surgery. Researchers will review imaging and medical records from 100 adults undergoing surgery for degenerative spine conditions. The goal is to see if intraoperative CT reveals instability that standard imaging misses, which could help guide future surgical decisions.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Intraoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging
What this could lead to: If successful, this could make it easier for surgeons to spot hidden spinal instability during surgery, leading to better surgical decisions.
What could go wrong: This is an early-stage diagnostic validation study with only 100 participants. It does not test a treatment, so even if it works, it may not directly improve patient outcomes.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Adults treated surgically for degenerative lumbar spine disease with instrumented fusion at a single spine surgery center. The population comprises two cohorts: a retrospective cohort of previously operated patients for whom intraoperative computed tomography (CT) and corresponding preoperative imaging are available in medical records, and a prospectively, consecutively enrolled cohort in whom intraoperative CT is acquired as part of the standard operative workflow. Both adult sexes are included; no upper age limit applies.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older * Degenerative lumbar spine pathology requiring surgical treatment (e.g., degenerative spondylolisthesis, lumbar spinal stenosis, isthmic spondylolisthesis) * Planned or performed lumbar decompression with instrumented fusion * Available intraoperative computed tomography (CT) with comparative preoperative imaging (retrospective cohort), or intraoperative CT performed during the index surgery (prospective cohort) * No prior surgery at the spinal level under evaluation; previous surgery at other levels permitted * Stable general medical condition allowing planned clinical evaluation * Written informed consent prior to participation (prospective cohort only) Exclusion Criteria: * Non-degenerative spinal pathology, including acute traumatic spinal injury, primary or metastatic spinal tumor, spinal infection (e.g., osteomyelitis, discitis), or inflammatory spinal disease (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis) * Inadequate or incomplete imaging data, including poor-quality intraoperative CT or absence of comparative preoperative imaging * Emergency or non-elective surgery * Revision surgery involving the same spinal level(s) * Inability to provide informed consent (prospective cohort only) * Neuromuscular or congenital spinal deformity significantly altering spinal biomechanics (e.g., scoliosis \>20°, congenital segmentation anomalies)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

lumbar disk degenerative disorder lumbar disk disease lumbar spinal stenosis spinal stenosis spondylolisthesis spondylosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Degenerative lumbar spine diseases Degenerative spondylolisthesis Lumbar spinal instability Lumbar spinal stenosis

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

Open the record ↗
A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Spine surgeons test new CT technique to catch hidden instability during surgery

What the study statuses mean