scholarly journals Design and Biomechanical Verification of Additive Manufactured Composite Spinal Cage Composed of Porous Titanium Cover and PEEK Body

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
pp. 4258
Author(s):  
Kwun-Mook Lim ◽  
Tae-Hyun Park ◽  
Sung-Jae Lee ◽  
Sung-Jun Park

Incidents of lumbar degenerative diseases, such as spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis, are increasing due to the aging population, and as a result, posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is widely used. However, the interbody fusion cage used in the fusion surgery has been reported to cause subsidence in the fusion cage of the titanium material and bone nonunion in the case of the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material cage. Therefore, we aim to reduce the possibility of subsidence of the spinal fusion cage through its elastic modulus difference with the cortical bone of the vertebral body. For the vertebral end plate, which is related to the fusion rate, we also aim to design a new composite vertebral cage, which integrates a cover of porous structure using the additive manufacturing method of titanium alloy to fabricate a prototype, and to biomechanically verify the prototype. The method was as follows. In order to find a similar pore size of human cancellous bone, the pore size was adjusted and the results were measured with SEM. The pore size of each surface was measured individually and the mean value was calculated. Next, an animal experiment was conducted to confirm the degree of fusion of each structural type, and prototypes of various structures were fabricated. The degree of fusion was confirmed by a push down test. A prototype of the fusion cage composed of titanium and PEEK material was fabricated, and the possibility of subsidence by existence of porous structure was confirmed by using the lumbar spine finite element model. Then, the prototype was compared with the composite fusion cage developed by ASTM F2077 and ASTM F2267 methods, and with the commercial PEEK and titanium cages. As a result, the correlation between bone fusion and the porous structure, as well as size of the spine fusion cage composing the composite for porous structure and elasticity, was confirmed. Type 3 structures showed the best performance in bone fusion and the pore size of 1.2 mm was most suitable. In addition, the likelihood of subsidence of a cage with a porous structure was considered to be lower than that of a cage with a solid structure. When the new composite cage combined with two composites was compared with commercial products to verify, the performance was better than that of the existing PEEK material. The subsidence result was superior to the titanium product and showed similar results to PEEK products. In conclusion, the performance value was superior to the existing PEEK material, and the subsidence result was superior to the titanium product and was similar to the PEEK product, and thus, performance-wise, it is concluded that the PEEK product can be completely replaced with the new product.

1998 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 325-332
Author(s):  
Shigeru Hirabayashi ◽  
Kiyoshi Kumano ◽  
Takeshi Uchida

We developed a new method of posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) using an en-bloc resected lamina with or without a hydroxyapatite block as an interbody spacer instead of auto-iliac bone, in combination with rigid-type spinal instrumentation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of our method. There were 23 patients (13 males, 10 females, age at the time of operation: 21–71 years, mean 50.5 years; follow-up: 1–4 years, mean 2 years and 3 months). In 10 patients with spondylolitic spondylolisthesis and 3 patients with spondylolysis, the floating lamina was resected enbloc by mid-line splitting. In 7 patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis and 3 patients with unstable spine, a cleavage was made at the isthmus and then the complex of lamina and inferior spinous process was resected en-bloc. Seventeen patients with olisthesis underwent reduction. PLIF was performed at the L4/L5 level in 10 patients and the L5/S1 level in 13 patients. Sixteen patients with preoperative low back pain recovered, except for one patient with instability at the adjacent vertebra. All of the seven patients with preoperative gait disturbance recovered. The ratio of olisthesis changed from preoperative 30% to postoperative 18% on average. Good bony union was obtained in both the patients with and those without a hydroxyapatite spacer. Posterior lumbar interbody fusion using an en-bloc resected lamina as an interbody spacer in combination with rigid-type spinal instrumentation was useful.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 538-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Okuda ◽  
Takenori Oda ◽  
Ryoji Yamasaki ◽  
Takafumi Maeno ◽  
Motoki Iwasaki

One of the most important sequelae affecting long-term results is adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Although several reports have described the incidence rate, there have been no reports of repeated ASD. The purpose of this report was to describe 1 case of repeated ASD after PLIF. A 62-year-old woman with L-4 degenerative spondylolisthesis underwent PLIF at L4–5. At the second operation, L3–4 PLIF was performed for L-3 degenerative spondylolisthesis 6 years after the primary operation. At the third operation, L2–3 PLIF was performed for L-2 degenerative spondylolisthesis 1.5 years after the primary operation. Vertebral collapse of L-1 was detected 1 year after the third operation, and the collapse had progressed. At the fourth operation, 3 years after the third operation, vertebral column resection of L-1 and replacement of titanium mesh cages with pedicle screw fixation between T-4 and L-5 was performed. Although the patient's symptoms resolved after each operation, the time between surgeries shortened. The sacral slope decreased gradually although each PLIF achieved local lordosis at the fused segment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Saurav Narayan Nanda ◽  
Mantu Jain ◽  
Sudarsan Behera ◽  
Manisha Gaikwad

The procedure of interbody fusion has become an established treatment for many spine disorders. This arthrodesis can be achieved by hardware (fusion cage) through many approaches. Initially, posterior lumbar interbody fusion was popularized but had some serious neurological complications related to insertion as well as the migration of the cage. Gradually, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) was introduced, which proved safer as it involves minimal cord handling, and also migration, if any, remains asymptomatic. We had two patients who were operated for interbody fusion using TLIF technique with subsequent posterior migration of the banana-shaped fusion cage 4–6 month after the index surgery. Both patients presented with radiculopathy mimicking a prolapsed intervertebral disc. These were evaluated and operated with the removal of the migrated cages and revision with bigger-size cages with adequate bone grafting. At the 1-year follow-up, both had remission of symptoms, and radiographs showed no subsequent migration. TLIF procedure is an established procedure to achieve arthrodesis in varying spine disorders with promising result. However, there are only a few reports describing cage migration after the procedure and these have been asymptomatic. Revision surgery is contemplated in the setting of neurological compression or instability. A bigger fusion cage in a compressive mode with adequate bone grafting is used to achieve arthrodesis. The principles of interbody fusion must be followed, and utmost precautions must be taken to prevent this unfortunate complication.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Mikinobu Takeuchi ◽  
Norimitsu Wakao ◽  
Mitsuhiro Kamiya ◽  
Atsuhiko Hirasawa ◽  
Shuntaro Hanamura ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND The impaction bone grafting technique is a popular approach for achieving complete bone fusion during hip surgery or total knee arthroplasty. We hypothesized that compaction bone grafting (CBG), a modified version of impaction bone grafting, could be applied to lumbar fusion surgery. OBJECTIVE To compare the bone fusion rates and durations achieved using the CBG technique and a conventional loose bone grafting technique. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 89 patients who underwent single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion at the university hospital; 35 other posterior lumbar interbody fusion recipients were excluded due to undergoing multilevel fusion, prior lumbar surgery, trauma, infection, or inadequate computed tomographic data. Computed tomographic-based bone fusion assessments were obtained using the Brantigan, Steffee, and Fraser criteria at 1 and 2 years after surgery. RESULTS The baseline characteristics of the CBG (n = 42) and loose bone grafting (n = 47) groups did not significantly differ. Fusion assessments indicated that significantly superior bone fusion rates were achieved at 1 year after surgery in the CBG group than in the loose bone grafting group (P = .04, χ2 test). However, the bone fusion rates of the 2 groups at 2 years after surgery did not significantly differ (P = .3). A nonsymptomatic surgical complication occurred in the CBG group when a spacer was inserted into the intervertebral space; specifically, the spacer slipped out of the right psoas muscle because a large quantity of compaction bone grafts disrupted the cage's pathway. CONCLUSION In posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgeries, bone fusion was achieved more quickly with the CBG technique than with the conventional technique.


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