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Biomechanical evaluation of an expansive pedicle screw in calf vertebrae

2005; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 15; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s00586-004-0867-1

1432-0932

Wei Lei, Zixiang Wu,

Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment

The main objective of the present study is to evaluate biomechanically a newly designed expansive pedicle screw (EPS) using fresh pedicles from calf lumber vertebrae in comparison with conventional pedicle screws, (CDH) CD Horizon, Universal Spine System pedicle screw (USS) and Tenor (Sofamor Denek). Pull-out and turning-back tests were performed on these pedicle screws to compare their holding strength. Additionally, revision tests were undertaken to evaluate the mechanical properties of EPS as a "rescue" revision screw. A fatigue simulation test using a perpendicular load up to 1,500,000 cycles was also carried out. The results showed that the turning back torque (Tmax) and pull-out force (Fmax) of EPS screws were significantly greater than those of USS, Tenor and CDH screws (6.5×40 mm). In revision tests, the Fmax of both types of EPS screws (6.5×40 mm; 7.0×40 mm) were significantly greater than that of CDH, USS, and Tenor screws (P<0.05). Furthermore, no screws were broken or bent at the end of fatigue tests. The findings from the current study suggest that expansive pedicle screws can significantly improve the bone purchase and the pull-out strength compared to USS, Tenor and CDH screws of similar dimensions before and after a failure simulation.