Flexibility Of The Spine

When you think of bones, the word flexible does not often come to mind, but that is where the spine is unique. Thirty-three vertebral bodies separated by flat round disks, encompassing a cord that allows for motion in an almost endless array, making it possible to bend, stretch, rotate, and move in manners that make most of our day-to-day tasks possible, yet we often take it for granted.

Unfortunately, the spine is also a thoroughfare for metastatic disease with up to 70 percent of patients suffering from lung, prostate or breast metastasis occurring along this pathway, yet radiation treatments often assume this critical area to be static in nature based off an image from a CT when these Thirty-three independent structures can move in a multitude of directions.

These patients are also, in most cases, suffering from pain that makes lying still in a supine or prone position, regardless of the immobilization technique or pain medication administered nearly impossible.

It should also be noted that this disease is commonly in remarkably close proximity to the spinal cord where it is essential to limit exposure to radiation or paralysis can ensue.

So, how can it be that there are a multitude of papers that suggest it is possible to treat this condition in a single fraction with Radiosurgery?

In my opinion, it is a direct result of these patients being fortunate enough to be at a facility that has a CyberKnife system?.

The CyberKnife System is the only system in the world that can adjust for motion to the tenth of a millimeter in six directions before each beam, making it possible to treat conditions completely circumventing the spinal canal, sparing it from dose while maintaining the prescribed dose to the area of interest.

It can also deliver this dose in a non-coplanar and non-isocentric method, which allows for extreme conformality by painting and adjusting the dose as necessary with unsurpassed accuracy.

It is so precise that it can even alert you if one or all three of the vertebral bodies it uses to track is in a different position than the others, making the initial set up of a patient more accurate.

If your department is interested in SBRT for spine treatments using innovative technology with the precision of a robotic surgeon, please feel free reach out to me first to find out more about how the CyberKnife System makes whole body radiosurgery with incredible precision possible.

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*The statements on this site are my own and do not represent Accuray opinions or positions.