Compaction and Crosslinking of Nucleus Pulposus Replacement Improves Repair Efficacy in Spinal Kinematic Model

摘要

Compaction and crosslinking of the ABNP to form the FABNP significantly improved its mechanical properties. This is supported by significantly improved compressive stiffness, creep displacement, and short-term time constant τ_1, which are significantly impacted by the properties of the NP. Furthermore, these mechanical gains allowed for the significant restoration of several kinematic deficiencies induced by discectomy. These findings demonstrate the potential for FABNP to be used as an NP replacement for aberrant spine biomechanics associated with IVDD. Despite these gains, some parameters remained perturbed after repair. Although the NP replacements were constrained with a biomimetic AFRP, the inner AF was replaced exclusively with ABNP or FABNP. This tissue mismatch may have prevented the appropriate tissue-specific contribution to FSU kinematics. On-going studies include the assessment of the regenerative potential of the FABNP and the development of a biomimetic inner AF tissue plug.