The influence of pedicle screw placement on thoracic trabecular strain.

Abstract

Experimental study. Although pedicle screw loosening and fracture are not uncommon, there is little understanding of the loading relationship between the pedicle screw and surrounding bone. There is even less understanding of the trabecular bone mechanics one a pedicle screw has been removed. To investigate and understand the influence of the presence of pedicle screw placement and subsequent removal on vertebral trabecular strain under axial loading. Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, University of California, Davis, USA. Six cadaver spines were biomechanically loaded and the minimum principal and maximum shear strains were measured using texture correlation. The treatments were divided into three conditions as follows: (1) before screw placement, (2) during screw placement, and (3) after screw removal. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. Trabecular strain adjacent to the pedicle screw was increased following pedicle screw placement and remained high following pedicle screw removal. The current study demonstrates that pedicle screw placement greatly influences the trabecular bone and introduces weakness in the area following screw removal.