Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026
08:15
Data Communication Based on MQTT in a Polymer Extrusion Process
Published on: July 15, 2022
3.8K
Extrusion of Biocompatible Osteoconductive Polymer (BOP) Causing Cervical Myelopathy
Hyung-Youl Park1, Young-Hoon Kim2, Kee-Yong Ha2
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
World Neurosurgery
|April 14, 2019
Summary
Biocompatible osteoconductive polymer (BOP) used in prior spine surgery can extrude years later, causing cervical myelopathy. Revision surgery to remove the material and achieve fusion is recommended for these delayed complications.
Area of Science:
- Spine surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Spinal fusion surgery rates have risen, driving demand for bone graft substitutes.
- Biocompatible osteoconductive polymer (BOP) has been utilized as a bone graft alternative in spinal procedures.
Observation:
- A 65-year-old male developed cervical myelopathy 23 years post-surgery for a C6-7 herniated disc where BOP was used.
- Imaging revealed extruded BOP causing spinal cord compression at C6-7.
- Surgical decompression and removal of BOP, followed by iliac bone graft fusion, led to immediate symptom improvement.
Findings:
- Histological examination showed a foreign body reaction and bony degeneration around the BOP fibers.
- Extruded BOP can cause delayed neurological complications years after initial spinal surgery.
Implications:
- Spine surgeons must understand the long-term pathophysiology of BOP in fusion.
- Patients with prior BOP use may develop late complications requiring revision surgery.
- Early recognition and surgical intervention are crucial for managing BOP-related spinal cord compression.
Related Concept Videos
02:34Polymers
40.6K
The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
40.6K
02:34Polymers
23.2K
23.2K
01:14Polymer Classification: Architecture
3.8K
Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
3.8K
01:21Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
3.8K
Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
3.8K
01:26Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
3.2K
Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...
3.2K
01:01Polymers: Defining Molecular Weight
3.8K
Unlike small molecules with definite molecular weights, polymers are a mixture of individual polymer chains of varying lengths, each with a unique molecular weight. So, the molecular weight of a polymer is expressed as an average value based on the average size of the polymer chains. The two most common forms of averages used for polymers are the number average molecular weight and weight average molecular weight.
The number average molecular weight (Mn) is the summation of the number...
The number average molecular weight (Mn) is the summation of the number...
3.8K