title: Mechanical evaluation of the Dwyer screw-cable attachment.
abstract: A critical portion of the Dwyer technique is the crimping of the screw head to prevent the cable from slipping. Initally, Dwyer designed a hydraulic mechanism to crimp the screw head. However, this instrument was cumbersome to use and presented potential sterility problems. Today the Simmons crimper is used by the majority of orthopaedic surgeons. It is the purpose of this paper to report the studies conducted on 1) different materials used for the fabrication of the screws, and 2) the significance of the variations in the jaw opening using the Simmons mechanical crimper.
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*; D013525:Surgical Instruments