Dynamic characteristics of osteoporotic lumbar spine under vertical vibration after cement augmentation

Being beneficial in restoring stability and stiffness of osteoporotic vertebraes, cement augmentation techniques including vertebroplasty (VP) and kyphoplasty (KP) have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of patients with osteoporotic vertebral compressive fractures (OVCFs). However, it is unclear the influence of cement augmentation on the dynamics of pathologic and adjacent vertebraes under vibration condition. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) model of the spinal T12-Pelvis segment by using CT scan data of lumbar spine of an adult woman with no physical abnormalities. By modulating model parameters we further simulated osteoporotic conditions of the T12-Pelvis FE model with or without polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) augmentation. Dynamic characteristics of the osteoporotic T12-Pelvis model were detected at the first order of vertical resonant frequencies (FOVRFs) under vertical vibration, which included vertical axial displacements, anteroposterior (AP) displacements and rotational angles of each vertebrae and intervertebral disc (IVD). The results showed that axial and AP displacements of both vertebraes and IVDs decreased in some point after PMMA augmentation. Axial displacements of the L4-L5 motion segment decreased most significantly and the changing ratios ranged from 20% to 30%. AP displacements of L5, D_1-2 (the IVD between vertebraes L1 and L2) and D_3-4 reduced most obviously after 1, 2 or 3 levels PMMA augmentation. No significant difference of axial or AP displacements of each vertebrae and IVD was observed between one-level and multilevel PMMA augmentation. Thus, we demonstrated that PMMA augmentation could reduce vertical axial and AP deformations of the osteoporotic lumbar motion segments under vertical vibration, especially for the inferior adjacent motion segments. However, the influence of the number of vertebraes with PMMA augmentation on the dynamics of osteoporotic lumbar spine was indistinctive.