Question
I was injured in auto accident in 1989 & was told that I have Lukey rods, not Harrington rods.  Am I spelling Lukey correctly?  What is difference between the two types?  I have a nerve problem in my back/neck causing loss of feeling/strength in my left arm and am scheduled to have a MRI done.  I am concerned as I have been told by numerous Dr's since my injury that I could not have an MRI due to the Lukey rods.  Is this true?

Answer
Dear Byron,

I found some info on the Luque rods, look below. And MRI's are ok to have done, the only thing is that the metal can interfere with their ability to read the MRI. I hope this helps.

Sincerely, Ken

Luque Instrumentation System
In the wake of the work on spine stabilization done by Paul Harrington, Dr. Eduardo Luque, a noted physician in Mexico City, developed a similar rod system in 1976. The Luque rod system consisted of long, contoured cylindrical rods measuring 3/16 or 1/4 in in diameter. The rods were affixed to the spine by using 16- or 18-gauge sublaminar wires at multiple segments along its length. The contoured rods provided immediate stabilization of the thoracolumbar spine and the patients did not require postoperative braces in many cases.[1] Dr. Luque worked with indigent patients who had to travel many miles to receive his care. Unfortunately, the use of postoperative braces and attendance at follow-up visits were difficult in this patient population.

Fusion augmentation was achieved with greater success along the multiple points of fixation in the Luque rod system compared with the Harrington system. Nevertheless, the use of sublaminar wires met with a greater degree of neurological complication. Dysesthesia was seen in as many as 10% of patients.[3] Other neurological complications secondary to passage of sublaminar wires include cord ischemia from compromised blood flow and postoperative paraplegia. In cases of postoperative paraplegia, the patient should be immediately returned to the operating room for removal of the instrumentation for optimal outcomes. The sublaminar wires should be carefully extracted to prevent any additional neural trauma.