Principal Investigator: Gary S. Beaupré, PhD Project Staff: Derek P. Lindsey, MS and Scott A. Yerby, PhD Project Category: Bone & Joint - 2003 Objective: Spinal stenosis is a debilitating disorder which, in severe cases, compresses the spinal cord, causes pain and retards physical function. A novel spinal implant to provide distraction of the spinous processes and increase the area of the spinal canal is being tested. The intent is to decompress the affected stenotic levels of the spinal column and in turn relieve pain. Twenty implants will be assembled and placed in a materials testing frame. One of three loads will be applied to the implant at the rate of 5 mm/min. The loading vectors will include an axial load, and two shear loads perpendicular to the axis of the implant. The load and displacement will be recorded at 20 Hz. Eight cadaver lumbar specimens (L2-L5) have been obtained. The specimens were loaded onto a hydraulic materials testing machine. Lateral and superior stress profilometry was performed in each disc (L2-L5) with the specimen under compression in a neutral position, flexion, and extension. Flexion and extension were achieved by applying a 7.5 N-m bending moment. The implant was placed between the L3-L4 spinous processes and stress profilometry repeated. Milestones and Publications:
Funding Source: St. Francis Medical Technologies Funding Status: Funded |
