Biomechanical comparison of pedicle screw fixation strength in synthetic bones: Effects of screw shape, core/thread profile and cement augmentation (original) (raw)
Related papers
Asian Spine Journal
Study DesignMechanical study.PurposeTo compare the pullout strength of different screw designs and augmentation techniques in an osteoporotic bone model.Overview of LiteratureAdequate bone screw pullout strength is a common problem among osteoporotic patients. Various screw designs and augmentation techniques have been developed to improve the biomechanical characteristics of the bone–screw interface.MethodsPolyurethane blocks were used to mimic human osteoporotic cancellous bone, and six different screw designs were tested. Five standard and expandable screws without augmentation, eight expandable screws with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or calcium phosphate augmentation, and distal cannulated screws with PMMA and calcium phosphate augmentation were tested. Mechanical tests were performed on 10 unused new screws of each group. Screws with or without augmentation were inserted in a block that was held in a fixture frame, and a longitudinal extraction force was applied to the screw ...
Spine Deformity, 2014
Study Design: Biomechanical study using a finite element model of a normal and osteoporotic lumbar vertebrae comparing resistance with axial pullout and bending forces on polymethylmethacrylate-augmented and non-augmented pedicle screws. Objective: To compare the effect of cement augmentation of pedicle screw fixation in normal and osteoporotic bone with 2 different techniques of cement delivery. Summary of Background Data: Various clinical and biomechanical studies have addressed the benefits of cement augmentation of pedicle screws, but none have evaluated whether this effect is similar, magnified, or attenuated in osteoporotic bone compared with normal bone. In addition, no study has compared the biomechanical strength of augmented pedicle screws using cement delivery through the pedicle screw with delivery through a pilot hole. Methods: This study was funded by a grant from DePuy Synthes Spine. Normal and osteoporotic lumbar vertebrae with pedicle screws were simulated. The models were tested for screw pullout strength with and without cement augmentation. Two methods of cement delivery were also tested. Both methods were tested using 1 and 2.5 cm 3 volume of cement infiltrated in normal and osteoporotic bone. Results: The increase in screw pullout force was proportionally greater in osteoporotic bone with equivalent volumes of cement delivered. The researchers found that 1 and 2.5 cm 3 of cement infiltrated bone volume resulted in an increase in pullout force by about 50% and 120% in normal bone, and by about 64% and 156% in osteoporotic bone, respectively. The delivery method had only a minimal effect on pullout force when 2.5 cm 3 of cement was injected (!4% difference). Conclusions: Cement augmentation increases the fixation strength of pedicle screws, and this effect is proportionately greater in osteoporotic bone. Cement delivery through fenestrated screws and delivery through a pilot hole result in comparable pullout strength at higher cement volumes.
PloS one, 2015
Expansive pedicle screws significantly improve fixation strength in osteoporotic spines. However, the previous literature does not adequately address the effects of the number of lengthwise slits and the extent of screw expansion on the strength of the bone/screw interface when expansive screws are used with or without cement augmentation. Herein, four designs for expansive pedicle screws with different numbers of lengthwise slits and different screw expansion levels were evaluated. Synthetic bones simulating severe osteoporosis were used to provide a comparative platform for each screw design. The prepared specimens were then tested for axial pullout failure. Regardless of screw design, screws with cement augmentation demonstrated significantly higher pullout strength than pedicle screws without cement augmentation (p < 0.001). For screws without cement augmentation, solid screws exhibited the lowest pullout strength compared to the four expansive groups (p < 0.01). No signif...
Spine Deformity, 2015
Introduction: Early-stage pullout is a common problem for surgeons during the fixation of osteoporotic bones. Poor bone quality limits the use of pedicle screws for patients with osteoporosis. In this study, the researchers investigated the effects of hole and gap position and type on the pullout strength of cannulated screws. Methods: Seven different designs were tested, including a control group. All cannula diameters were 2 mm and holes were drilled with a diameter of 1.5 mm. Gaps were milled with a 2-mm-diameter tool with 2-mm displacement proximally. All holes and gaps were drilled or opened unilaterally and bilaterally. Grade 40 and 10 polyurethane foam was used to simulate healthy and osteoporotic bones, respectively. For pullout tests, insertion depth was 30 mm and 2-mm-diameter pilot holes were drilled into blocks before screws were inserted. The crosshead speed was 2 mm/min. For torsion tests, 1 side of the screw was fixed and other was twisted clockwise. Results: For torsion tests, the maximum torque value exhibited by the control group (non-cannulated) was 14.94 Nm. The highest torsional strength among tested cannulated screws was 13.54 Nm for Single side two holes including design (S2H) (p ! .0001). The minimum torsional strength was 9.45 Nm with a breaking angle of 39 (p ! .005). Comparing results for samples pulled out from grade 40 polyurethane foam, single side slot including design (SS) samples exhibited the highest pullout strength with a maximum force of 3,104 N. Conclusions: The unilateral, sequential, 3-radial hole, drilled, cannulated screw was the optimal alternative when considering pullout and torsional strength as criteria.
Variability of the pullout strength of cancellous bone screws with cement augmentation
Clinical Biomechanics, 2015
Background Orthopaedic surgeons often face clinical situations where improved screw holding power in cancellous bone is needed. Injectable calcium phosphate cements are one option to enhance fixation. Methods Paired screw pullout tests were undertaken in which human cadaver bone was augmented with calcium phosphate cement. A finite element model was used to investigate sensitivity to screw positional placement. Findings Statistical analysis of the data concluded that the pullout strength was generally increased by cement augmentation in the in vitro human cadaver tests. However, when comparing the individual paired samples there were surprising results with lower strength than anticipated after augmentation, in apparent contradiction to the generally expected conclusion. Investigation using the finite element model showed that these strength reductions could be accounted for by small screw positional changes. A change of 0.5 mm might result in predicted pullout force changes of up to 28%. Interpretation Small changes in screw position might lead to significant changes in pullout strength sufficient to explain the lower than expected individual pullout values in augmented cancellous bone. Consequently whilst the addition of cement at a position of low strength would increase the pullout strength at that point, it might not reach the pullout strength of the un-augmented paired test site. However, the overall effect of cement augmentation produces a significant improvement at whatever point in the bone the screw is placed. The use of polymeric bone-substitute materials for tests may not reveal the natural variation encountered in tests using real bone structures.
Medical engineering & physics, 2014
Pedicle screws are widely utilized to treat the unstable thoracolumbar spine. The superior biomechanical strength of pedicle screws could increase fusion rates and provide accurate corrections of complex deformities. However, osteoporosis and revision cases of pedicle screw substantially reduce screw holding strength and cause loosening. Pedicle screw fixation becomes a challenge for spine surgeons in those scenarios. The purpose of this study was to determine if an expandable pedicle screw design could be used to improve biomechanical fixation in osteoporotic bone. Axial mechanical pull-out test was performed on the expandable, conventional and augmented pedicle screws placed in a commercial synthetic bone block which mimicked a human bone with severe osteoporosis. Results revealed that the pull-out strength and failure energy of expandable pedicle screws were similar with conventional pedicle screws augmented with bone cement by 2 ml. The pull-out strength was 5-fold greater than ...
Medical Engineering & Physics, 2010
Screw fixation can be extremely difficult to achieve in osteoporotic (OP) bone because of its low strength. This study determined how pullout strength is affected by placing different bone screws at varying angles in normal and OP bone models. Pullout tests of screws placed axially, and at angles to the pullout axis (ranging from 10 • to 40 • ), were performed in 0.09 g cm −3 , 0.16 g cm −3 and 0.32 g cm −3 polyurethane (PU) foam. Two different titanium alloy bone screws were used to test for any effect of thread type (i.e. cancellous or cortical) on the screw pullout strength. The cancellous screw required a significantly higher pullout force than the cortical screw (p < 0.05). For both screws, pullout strength significantly increased with increasing PU foam density (p < 0.05). For screws placed axially, and sometimes at 10 • , the observed mechanism of failure was stripping of the internal screw threads generated within the PU foam by screw insertion. For screws inserted at 10 • , 20 • , 30 • and 40 • , the resistance to pullout force was observed to be by compression of the PU foam material above the angled screw; clinically, this suggests that compressed OP bone is stronger than unloaded OP bone.
Biomech analysis pedicle screw thread diff design in osteoporotic bone
Background: Pedicle screw fixation, the standard surgical care for posterior stabilization in the thoraco-lumbar spine has a high rate of failure in osteoporotic individuals. Screw design factors and insertion techniques have been shown to influence the biomechanical performance of pedicle screws. Our objective was to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of pedicle screw fixation in osteoporotic bone by comparing standard screws with newly designed differential crest thickness dual lead screws. Methods: An in-vitro spinal-level paired factorial study design was used to examine thoraco-lumbar spine biomechanical outcomes for differential pedicle screw thread designs. Six cadaveric human spines (T8-L5) were tested for six groups (n= 20) consisting of 2 different crest thickness and 3 different insertion techniques. Bone mineral density was assessed and peak insertion torque measured while placing one screw of new design and control on the contralateral side. Screw pullout properties were measured from classical American Society for Testing and Materials protocols. Findings: The screws designed specifically for osteoporotic bone showed significantly larger insertion torque compared with the standard screw design irrespective of insertion technique. Much of the variability in pullout failure and stiffness was explained by bone mineral density. The osteoporotic screws of different crest thickness were statistically similar to each other in all outcome measures. Interpretation: Compared with standard pedicle screws, the dual lead osteoporotic-specific pedicle screws demonstrated significantly larger insertion torques and similar pullout properties. Non-significant increased biomechanical strength was observed for thin crest compared to thick crest dual lead pedicle screws indicating their enhanced purchase in osteoporotic bone.
European Spine Journal, 2018
Purpose Cement augmentation of pedicle screws is known to increase their mechanical strength. Aim was to evaluate the impact of cement augmentation on pedicle screw fatigue strength in dependence of the bone mineral density (BMD). Methods Twenty-one human L2 vertebral bodies from donors between 19 and 96 years of age were used for in vitro experiments. BMD was measured using quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Two pedicle screws were inserted in each specimen and unilaterally augmented with bone cement. Fatigue testing was performed using a cranio-caudal sinusoidal, cyclic load (0.5 Hz) with increasing compression force (100 N + 0.1 N/cycles). Results were evaluated for the BMD groups: normal: BMD > 120 mg/cm 3 , osteopenic: BMD 80-120 mg/cm 3 , and osteoporotic: BMD < 80 mg/cm 3 bone mass. Results There was a significant correlation between fatigue force and BMD for the non-augmented and augmented screws (non-augmented R 2 = 0.839, p < 0.001; augmented R 2 = 0.551, p < 0.001). There was a significantly increased fatigue strength of the augmented screws over the non-augmented screws in the osteoporotic group (p = 0.001), while the differences in the other groups were not significant (normal p = 0.818/osteopenic p = 0.132). Conclusions The benefit of pedicle screw cement augmentation significantly depends on the bone mineral density and has the greatest extent of increased fatigue strength in osteoporotic vertebrae. Preoperative measurement of the BMD is strongly recommended to predict the benefit of augmentation and reinforce the decision for cement augmentation.