Percutaneous vertebroplasty: a new animal model

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Surgical Innovation
• Animal Models in Research

Background:

• Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for treating vertebral fractures.
• PVP involves injecting bone cement into vertebral bodies to provide rapid pain relief.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reproducible and safe animal model for percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in sheep.
• To facilitate the testing of novel biomaterials for vertebral fracture treatment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an ex vivo and in vivo large animal model using Merino sheep.
• Performed PVP with control cement and a novel composite (Spine-Ghost) in ovine vertebrae.
• Assessed vertebrae using micro-CT, mechanical testing, histology, and rt-PCR.

Main Results:

• Ex vivo models showed adequate cement filling and no mechanical failure under supra-physiological loads.
• In vivo studies reported transient cardiorespiratory distress in two sheep and mild, reversible neurologic deficits in one sheep.
• No cement leakage into the vertebral foramen was observed postmortem.

Conclusions:

• The developed PVP model in sheep is suitable for preclinical in vivo studies.
• The model effectively mimics clinical PVP applications.
• All sheep completed a 6-month implantation period with successful outcomes.