FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF MULTI LEVEL CERVICAL LAMINOPLASTY

摘要

Cervical spinal stenosis is a medical condition caused by the narrowing of the spinal canal, possibly leading to the compression of the spinal cord or other nerve roots [1]. Surgical options include an anterior approach involving decompression and fusion or a posterior approach involving laminectomy and fusion or laminoplasty. Laminoplasty, considered an alternative to laminectomy, is a procedure intended to relieve pressure on the spinal cord while maintaining the stabilizing effects of the posterior elements of the vertebrae. A single hinge laminoplasty procedure involves "hinging" one side of the lamina and cutting the other side to form a door. Once the lamina is opened, preventing restenosis is a primary concern. Several modifications to Hirabayashi's original methods have been developed [4]. The use of titanium miniplates and screws to stabilize the lamina in an open position has been well accepted. Our earlier studies on single-level laminoplasty have shown increased sagittal diameter using this technique [6]. The finite element method is an ideal tool to assess the biomechanical efficacy of surgical treatments while supplementing in vitro studies. The current study is a finite element approach of looking at the effect of multi-level laminoplasty on the biomechanics of cervical spine.