Assessing the utility of MRI‑based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) and CT-derived Hounsfield Units for predicting cervical screw loosening.

Abstract

Retrospective cohort. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of using MRI-based Vertebral Bone Quality (VBQ) scores and CT-derived Hounsfield Units (HU) as predictive tools for cervical screw loosening (CSL) in patients with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Additionally, it analyzes the relationship between VBQ scores, HU values, and DXA T scores. A total of 112 patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) between December 2016 and January 2023 were followed for over a year and divided into CSL and non-CSL. The radiological and clinical parameters investigated included age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, VBQ scores, HU values, and DXA T scores. Among the 112 patients included in the study, 18 patients developed cervical screw loosening postoperatively (16.07%). The lumbar T-score in the CSL group (-1.98 ± 1.06) was significantly lower than that in the non-CSL group (-1.53 ± 0.83), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The screw loosening rate was higher in osteoporotic patients than in non-osteoporotic patients, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Differences were observed in the mean HU values of C2-C7, C2-7, and the surgical segments between the two groups (p < 0.05). The VBQ score in the CSL group (3.12 ± 0.55) was significantly higher than that in the non-CSL group (2.42 ± 0.45), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Higher VBQ scores and lower HU values are associated with an increased risk of cervical screw loosening. Significant correlations exist among DXA T scores, cervical VBQ scores, and HU values.