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General Structure of a Vertebra

General Structure of a Vertebra

A typical vertebra, with the exception of the sacrum and coccyx, consists of a body, a vertebral arch, and seven different projections termed processes. The anterior portion of the vertebrae, the body, supports about half the body’s weight. The vertebral bodies progressively increase in size and thickness from the cervical region to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. The intervertebral discs present between the bodies of adjacent vertebrae firmly unites them, forming a continuous...

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A New Vertebral Body Replacement Strategy Using Expandable Polymeric Cages.

Xifeng Liu^1,2, Alex Paulsen², Hugo Giambini²

¹1 Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, Minnesota.

Tissue Engineering. Part A

|November 13, 2016

Summary

A novel hydrogel cage made of oligo poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate (OPF) offers a less invasive, cost-effective solution for vertebral defects. This expandable cage provides stable augmentation when combined with other biomaterials.

Keywords:

biomaterials hydrogel spine tissue engineering vertebral body reconstruction

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Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Orthopedic Surgery
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Vertebral defects often require invasive surgical interventions.
Current expandable metal cages are costly and may necessitate complex surgical approaches.
There is a need for less invasive and more cost-effective vertebral augmentation solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and characterize a novel polymeric expandable cage for treating noncontained vertebral defects.
To evaluate the surgical feasibility and efficacy of a posterior-only approach using the OPF cage.
To assess the potential of the OPF cage as a scaffold for composite augmentation.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of oligo poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate (OPF) hydrogel cages using various mold diameters.
In vitro characterization of cage expansion kinetics upon hydration, with modulation of crosslink density and charge.
In situ implantation of dried OPF cages into simulated vertebral defects, followed by expansion and injection of poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) for composite scaffold formation.

Main Results:

OPF cages demonstrated a stable twofold expansion in diameter and length within 20 minutes, irrespective of initial size.
Precise control over expansion kinetics was achieved by modulating polymer network parameters.
The OPF/PPF composite scaffold showed potential for providing rigidity and stability to augmented spinal segments.

Conclusions:

The novel OPF expandable cage offers a promising, less invasive, and cost-effective alternative for treating vertebral defects via a posterior-only approach.
The OPF hydrogel's tunable expansion properties and biocompatibility make it suitable for spinal augmentation.
The developed OPF/PPF composite scaffold system can effectively stabilize augmented vertebral bodies.