Abstract:

BACKGROUND: No reports have been found about comparative study among three different methods to treat lumbar burst fracture through finite element model, which leads to the different ideas of treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To introduce and evaluate the biomechanical features of different internal fixation for treatment of lumbar burst fracture based on a three-dimensional finite element model.
METHODS: A youth volunteer without chronic low back pain and trauma of lumbar was chosen. The CT data were obtained by DICOM format. We used Mimics software to build a three-dimensional finite element model to mimic the fracture of L1 burst fracture, then three different approaches of posterior decompression internal fixation, anterior decompression combined with titanium mush implantation internal fixation and posterior decompression combined with anterior reconstruction internal fixation were performed by the three-dimensional finite element model. These three models were put into Abaqus finite element program, axial load 260N and 10NM torque were loaded, on central compression, flexion, extension, lateral bending respectively to study the corresponding stress and displacement.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The technique of posterior decompression combined with anterior reconstruction internal fixation, in the model of vertical compression, flexion, right lateral bending and left, stability was far more than other two methods. From stress distribution, the anterior combined with posterior approach was corresponding with the principle of load-sharing. The technique of posterior decompression combined with anterior reconstruction internal fixation is better than other two methods biomechanically.