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Discrepancy between cervical disc prostheses and anatomical cervical dimensions.
Sinan Karaca1, Ahmet Onur Akpolat1, Ahmet Oztermeli1
1Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital, Atasehir, Istanbul, Turkey.
Acta Orthopaedica Et Traumatologica Turcica
|October 26, 2016
Summary
Available cervical disc prostheses often do not match human cervical vertebrae anatomy. This size mismatch in cervical total disc prostheses (CTDP) may impact surgical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Spine Surgery
- Biomedical Engineering
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Cervical total disc prostheses (CTDP) are used to treat degenerative cervical disc disease.
- The effectiveness of CTDP depends on appropriate sizing to match patient anatomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the anatomical accuracy of current cervical disc prostheses sizes.
- To compare available CTDP dimensions with human cervical vertebrae measurements.
Main Methods:
- Computerized tomography scans of C3-C7 segments from 50 patients were analyzed.
- Anterior-posterior and mediolateral diameters of vertebral endplates were measured.
- Measurements were compared to the dimensions of four popular CTDP models.
Main Results:
- A significant percentage of the largest CTDP footprints were smaller than measured cervical endplate dimensions.
- Specifically, 43.7% were smaller in anterior-posterior diameter and 42.6% in mediolateral diameter.
- Discrepancies were particularly noted at the C5/C6 and C6/C7 levels.
Conclusions:
- There is a substantial size mismatch between current CTDP and cervical anatomy.
- Manufacturers should develop a wider range of CTDP sizes to accommodate anatomical variations.
- Spine surgeons must be aware of potential size mismatches to optimize clinical and radiological results.
