Design of the Interspinous Process Fixator Using Biomechanical Analysis for the Treament of Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

퇴행성 요추부 척추관 협착증 치료를 위한 극돌기간 고정기구의 설계 및 생체역학적 분석

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis(DLSS) is a disease inducing low back pain, leg pain, convulsion, numbness, and neurogenic claudication from compression of nerve root. Intervertebra fixation was reported to increase the degenerative of neighbor region after treatment. Recently, a new surgical technique of inserting a fixator between interspinous processes has been introduced. The purpose of this study is to design of the interspinous process fixator with flexibility to complement the trouble of using fixator in DLSS. This study evaluated the existing fixator through the mechanical test and modified fixators using the finite element analysis(FEA). Displacement, stiffness and Von-Mises stress were found to have similar values to those obtained from the mechanical test and the FEA in the biomechanical loading condition. Effects of variation in length and thickness were investigated to design an optimal fixator.