Biomechanical analysis of complications following T10-Pelvis spinal fusion: A population based computational study

Austin Q. Nguyen, Christian Rodriguez, Rachit Kumar, Sachin Gupta, Dennis E. Anderson, Comron Saifi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and proximal junctional failure (PJF) are challenging complications of long fusion constructs for the treatment of adult spinal deformity. The objective of this study is to understand the biomechanical stresses proximal to the upper instrumentation of a T10-pelvis fusion in a large patient cohort. The pre-fusion models were subject-specific thoracolumbar spine models that incorporate the height, weight, spine curvature, and muscle morphology of 250 individuals from the Framingham Heart Study Multidetector CT Study. To create post-fusion models, the subject-specific models were further modified to eliminate motion between the intervertebral joints from T10 to the pelvis. OpenSim analysis tools were used to calculate the medial lateral shear force, anterior posterior shear force, and compressive force on the T9 vertebra during the static postures. Differences between pre-fusion and post-fusion T9 biomechanics were consistent between increased segmental mobility and unchanged segmental mobility conditions. For all static postures, compression decreased (p < 0. 0005). Anterior-posterior shear force significantly increased (p < 0. 0005) during axial twist and significantly increased (p < 0. 0005) during trunk flexion. Medial lateral shear force significantly increased (p < 0. 0005) during axial twist. This computational study provided the first use of subject-specific models to investigate the biomechanics of long spinal fusions. Patients undergoing T10-Pelvis fusion were predicted to have increased shear forces and decreased compressive force at the T9 vertebra, independent of change in segmental mobility. The computational model shows potential for the investigation of spinal fusion biomechanics to reduce the risk of PJK or PJF.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number111969
Pages (from-to)111969
JournalJournal of Biomechanics
Volume165
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2024

Keywords

  • Biomechanics
  • Deformity
  • Kyphosis
  • Proximal
  • Spine
  • Humans
  • Spinal Curvatures
  • Pelvis
  • Thoracic Vertebrae
  • Adult
  • Spinal Fusion/adverse effects
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Postoperative Complications

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Rehabilitation

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