Preclinical model for lumbar interbody fusion in small ruminants: Rationale and guideline

Lumbar interbody fusion (IF) is a common procedure to obtain fusion of the spine by replacement of the intervertebral disc with a cage. Optimization of spinal cages is ongoing to reduce complications such as a pseudoarthrosis and subsidence of the cage. IF animal models (primate, dog, pig, goat and sheep) remain important to assess implant effectivity. But currently the available literature is dispersed and not IF model specific. Therefore unwanted inconsistencies between studies occur that limit generalizability. Based on our experience, anatomical preparation and literature research, we present a rationale for species selection and a practical guide for the surgical procedure in the goat animal model.

Rigorous methodologic design is an important means to improve translational value and generalizability of large animal IF efficacy studies. This paper provides a rationale and practical guide for animal selection and surgical decision making that can help reduce unnecessary variation between models and improve methodologic rigor and documentation for future experiments.