CAN AN ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE PLATE DELIVER BETTER FUSION? (Orthopedics This Week)
The load-sharing that occurs in the interbody space during an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure can make a substantial difference in surgical outcomes.
Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Veterinary Specialties Referral Center in Pattersonville, New York, the corporate sponsor of the study, ReVivo Medical reported on the results of a study to evaluate the bone forming capabilities an elastically deformable spinal plate as compared with a translationally dynamic plate.
Their work, “Load-sharing through elastic micro-motion accelerates bone formation and interbody fusion,” was published in the July 2018 edition of The Spine Journal.
The research team used a goat model (14 animals) for ACDF. The goats, who received either a translationally dynamic or elastically deformable plate, were followed for 18 weeks.
“Anterior cervical plates are used in over 400,000 surgical procedures each year,” says co-author Darryl DiRisio, M.D., professor of neurosurgery and A. John Popp Chair, Spinal Surgery at Albany Medical Center in New York. “The primary measure of succe...
