A Finite Element Assessment to Compare the Biomechanical Behaviour of Human, Sheep and Chagma Baboon Functional Spine Units

Abstract

Ideal animal spine models have been used by researchers to compare and evaluate the biomechanical behavior of spine following surgery and implantation due to the growing difficulty in obtaining fresh human spine specimens. Availability and resemblance of sheep and baboon spines to human spine make them suitable for use in biomechanical studies; however the literature on biomechanics of baboon and sheep spine compared to human spine is sparse. In the present study finite element method was used to compare the load transfer and load-displacement characteristics of L3-L4 sheep, baboon and human spines.

Bone Mineralization and Spinal Fusion Evaluation of a Truss-based Interbody Fusion Device

“…The primary objective of this study was to determine comparative bone mineralization and fusion consolidation outcomes associated with struts of different diameters in a truss-based interbody fusion device. Modeling of differential strain distributions as a function of strut diameter employed an ovine finite element analysis (FEA) 12 coupled with a confirmatory in vivo ovine spinal interbody fusion study 13 . The titanium interbody fusion devices that were investigated in this study (4WEB Medical Inc.; Frisco, TX) were manufactured using additive, 3D-printing technology, to produce a network of intersecting strut-based truss units.…”

“…FEA modeling was used to simulate the mechanical response as differential strain amplitude distributions for truss cages with different strut diameters under anatomical loading. Ovine FEA of intact L2–L3 sheep lumbar spine model was used 12 . The intact spine model included vertebral bone, soft tissue, intervertebral disc, ligaments, posterior facet joints, and other anatomical components.…”

“…Mechanical properties of the implant were assigned, and the instrumented spine was subjected to anatomical loading. The inferior surface of the lower vertebrae (L3) was fixed in all degrees of freedom and a compression load of 100 N followed by bending moment of 3.4 Nm were applied at the superior surface of L3 segment 12 . The process was performed iteratively for truss cages with strut diameters of 0.75-, 1.0-, 1.25-, and 1.5-mm and the peak strain across the cage and the strain distribution were compared.…”

“…Ovine FEA of intact L2-L3 sheep lumbar spine model was used. 12 The intact spine model included vertebral bone, soft tissue, intervertebral disc, ligaments, posterior facet joints, and other anatomical components.…”