SummaryIntervertebral disc surgery leads to changes in the segmental anatomy and mobility, and subsequently to degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Artificial intervertebral disc implants sufficient to replace the human lumbar intervertebral disc have been developed and the requirements for these defined. This is to our knowledge the first study on bioabsorbable intervertebral disc replacement implants. SR-PLLA screws, previously used in orthopaedic internal fixations, and cylindrical implants, specifially developed for this experimental preliminary study, were used to replace lumbar intervertebral discs of growing pigs. After a 15-week follow-up period, the radiological and histological changes in the intervertebral spaces were analyzed. The cylindrical implants were able to prevent narrowing of discectomied spaces, and tissue regeneration in the intervertebral space was induced and occured simultaneously with degradation of the implant.
Dynamic, six-axis stiffness matrix characteristics of the intact intervertebral disc and a disc replacement