Experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of embedding thickness in compressive mechanical testing of vertebral augmentation and spinal interbody fusion

Abstract

For in vitro mechanical testing of biomechanical objects the specimens must generally be embedded into a special material to obtain a stable position in the testing machine. However, the experimental boundary conditions may influence the results of the measurements. In this study the effect of embedding thickness on the mechanical properties of vertebrae treated by vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty and lumbar motion segments treated by interbody fusion with PEEK and PMMA cement spacers is analyzed by using compressive mechanical tests and QCT based specimen-specific finite element simulation.