Enhancing spinal bone anchor pull-out resistance with an L-shaped anchor

PLoS One. 2024 May 8;19(5):e0302996. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302996. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

The success rate of spinal fusion surgery is mainly determined by the fixation strength of the spinal bone anchors. This study explores the use of an L-shaped spinal bone anchor that is intended to establish a macro-shape lock with the posterior cortical layer of the vertebral body, thereby increasing the pull-out resistance of the anchor. The performance of this L-shaped anchor was evaluated in lumbar vertebra phantoms (L1-L5) across four distinct perpendicular orientations (lateral, medial, superior, and inferior). During the pull-out experiments, the pull-out force, and the displacement of the anchor with respect to the vertebra was measured which allowed the determination of the maximal pull-out force (mean: 123 N ± 25 N) and the initial pull-out force, the initial force required to start motion of the anchor (mean: 23 N ± 16 N). Notably, the maximum pull-out force was observed when the anchor engaged the cortical bone layer. The results demonstrate the potential benefits of utilising a spinal bone anchor featuring a macro-shape lock with the cortical bone layer to increase the pull-out force. Combining the macro shape-lock fixation method with the conventional pedicle screw shows the potential to significantly enhance the fixation strength of spinal bone anchors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Humans
  • Lumbar Vertebrae* / surgery
  • Pedicle Screws
  • Spinal Fusion* / instrumentation
  • Spinal Fusion* / methods
  • Suture Anchors

Grants and funding

This research is supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (TTW), project number 17553. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.