(Open access funding provided by Semmelweis University)
(FK123884)
(János Bolyai Research Scholarship)
(ÚNKP-21-5)
(C1014064)
Subjects:
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) effectively treats spinal tumors. The surgery requires
a vertebral body replacement (VBR), for which several solutions were developed, whereas
the biomechanical differences between these devices still need to be completely understood.
This study aimed to compare a femur graft, a polyetheretherketone implant (PEEK-IMP-C),
a titan mesh cage (MESH-C), and a polymethylmethacrylate replacement (PMMA-C) using
a finite element model of the lumbar spine after a TES of L3. Several biomechanical
parameters (rotational stiffness, segmental range of motion (ROM), and von Mises stress)
were assessed to compare the VBRs. All models provided adequate initial stability
by increasing the rotational stiffness and decreasing the ROM between L2 and L4. The
PMMA-C had the highest stiffness for flexion–extension, lateral bending, and axial
rotation (215%, 216%, and 170% of intact model), and it had the lowest segmental ROM
in the instrumented segment (0.2°, 0.5°, and 0.7°, respectively). Maximum endplate
stress was similar for PMMA-C and PEEK-IMP-C but lower for both compared to MESH-C
across all loading directions. These results suggest that PMMA-C had similar or better
primary spinal stability than other VBRs, which may be related to the larger contact
surface and the potential to adapt to the patient’s anatomy.
