title: Biomechanical analysis of differential pull-out strengths of bone screws using cervical anterior transpedicular technique in normal and osteoporotic cervical cadaveric spines.
abstract: METHODS
  Biomechanical in vitro study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the peak pull-out force (PPF) of cervical anterior transpedicular screw (ATPS) fixed in osteoporotic vertebrae positively influence screw stability or not before and after fatigue.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Multilevel cervical spine procedures with osteoporosis can challenge the stability of current screw-and-plate systems. A second surgical posterior approach is coupled with potential risks of increased morbidity and complications. Hence, anterior cervical instrumentation that increases primary construct stability, while avoiding the need for posterior augmentation, would be valuable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty formalin-fixed vertebrae at different levels were randomly selected. The vertebrae were divided into healthy controls (groups A1, A2), osteoporotic controls (B1, B2), healthy ATPS groups (C1, C2), osteoporotic ATPS groups (D1, D2), and osteoporotic restoration controls (E1, E2). The procedure of ATPS insertion was simulated with 2 pilot holes being drilled on each side of 20 vertebral bodies that were implanted with either vertebral screw or polymethylmethacrylate. Each side randomly received either instant PPF or PPF beyond fatigue (2.5 Hz; 20,000 times).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prefatigue PPFs were significantly higher than the postfatigue PPFs in all groups (group A: 366.06 ± 58.78 vs. 248.93 ± 57.21 N; group B: 275.58 ± 23.18 vs. 142.79 ± 44.78 N; group C: 635.99 ± 185.28 vs. 542.57 ± 136.58 N; group D: 519.22 ± 122.12 vs. 393.16 ± 192.07 N, and group E: 431.78 ± 75.77 vs. 325.74 ± 95.10 N). The postfatigue PPFs were reduced by 32.00% (group A), 48.19% (group B), 14.69% (group C), 24.28% (group D), and 24.72% (group E). The acute and postfatigue PPFs of both control groups were significantly lower than that of ATPS groups (P < 0.05). The cyclic osteoporosis ATPS group achieved the same PPF compared with the vertebral restoration screw group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that instant PPF and fatigue resistance capability of an ATPS fixation were significantly better than other control groups, especially in the osteoporotic vertebrae.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Anatomy, Southern Medical University and Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory and Academy of Orthopedics of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, P.R. China †Department of Orthopedic Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, and the Affiliated Putian Hospital of Southern Medical University, Putian, Fujian, P.R. China ‡Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Navy General Hospital, Southern Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China; and §Shenzhen Digital Orthopedic Engineering Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Changfu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Peidong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Jinyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ouyang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001843:Bone Cements / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001860:Bone Plates; D001863:Bone Screws; D002102:Cadaver; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001843:Bone Cements; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate