Extraction strength of cannulated cancellous bone screws

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the alterations in the relative dimensions of thread and core diameter that accompany cannulation of cancellous bone screws affect their holding strength. The screws were inserted in bovine femoral cancellous bone and mounted in the load train of a materials testing system. They were then extracted under servo-hydraulic displacement control. The tests were repeated in synthetic cancellous material. From the corresponding load-displacement histories, the maximum force values attained were determined as the screws' holding strengths. The results of tests from 17 matched pairs of bovine femora, and of 15 tests of each screw in synthetic material, were recorded. No significant differences in extraction strength between 7.0-mm cannulated and 6.5-mm standard cancellous bone screws were found. Based on tests in the bovine femur and synthetic cancellous material, this study showed that the extraction strength of cancellous bone screws is not altered by the changes in thread-to-core ratio accommodating cannulation.