The Pedicle Screw

The owner of the Citrus Spine Institute in Crystal River, Florida, Constantine Toumbis, MD, is an accomplished spine surgeon who has completed a range of significant research projects. Dr. Constantine Toumbis served as a designer for the Arsenal, a next-generation pedicle screw from the spinal fusion technology company Alphatec.

Although surgeons have been employing bone screws to correct spinal anomalies since the 1960s, the specific hardware and modalities that they use have changed a great deal. A specific type of bone screw, the pedicle screw has multiple characteristics to facilitate implantation into the vertebral pedicle, the stem-like structure that protrudes from the back of each human vertebra.

Surgeons can implant pedicle screws to address instances of deformity and trauma by affixing spinal implants in place and/or immobilizing specific spinal sections. After using fluoroscopy or x-ray equipment to determine the ideal screw placement, surgeons drill receiving channels with the appropriate angles and depths before installing pedicle screws within the bone.

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