Comparative Study of Spine Fixation Technique

Lumbar disc degeneration is an ailment that afflicts a large population. Spinal fusion techniques have been developed to alleviate pain and reestablish spine stability. It has been found that the stress levels within the vertebrae can significantly influence bone healing and resorption. To effectively apply fixation devices, analysis of the interactions between the tissue and inserted devices is needed. This paper presents a biomechanical study using the finite element (FE) method. Specifically, patient-based intact L4-L5 motion segments were constructed through an edge detection algorithm. Intervertebral disc was modeled with composite element. The effect of an anterior lumbar interbody fusion cage with unilaminar (ULFS) and translaminar facet screws (TLFS) was then evaluated. The results were analyzed in the terms of stability and stress distribution.