Establishment and validation of the finite element model of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine with interbody fusion

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2890

Abstract

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The etiology of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine is still unclear, which is different from the normal shape and mechanical properties of the cervical spine, making the biomechanical study of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine a difficulty.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine with interbody fusion and verify its effectiveness.

METHODS: A volunteer was selected from Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Yuncheng Nursing Vocational College. Totally 719 DICOM format images of cervical spine during CT scans were imported into Mimics modeling software. A preliminary 3D model was constructed in stl format. Geomagic Studio 2013 software was used to refine the 3D model to smooth out noise and generate NURBS. The surface model is then imported into the finite element analysis software Ansys workbench 15.0, adding ligaments and intervertebral discs, meshing, assigning material properties, and simulating six kinds of human cervical spine activities. They were compared with references.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The 3D finite element model of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine with interbody fusion consisted of 7 cervical vertebral bodies, 1 thoracic vertebral body, 5 intervertebral discs, and ligaments, totally 320 512 nodes and 180 905 units. The appearance was realistic; the detail reduction was high; and the cervical posterior longitudinal ligament bone had good geometric similarity. (2) In flexion and extension, left and right lateral bending, axial rotation activity compared with the reference, there is no difference. (3) The 3D finite element model of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine with interbody fusion has good mechanical and geometric similarity.

Key words: bone, finite element, three-dimensional, posterior longitudinal ligament, ossification, model, biomechanics

CLC Number:

Wang Qi, Li Hui. Establishment and validation of the finite element model of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine with interbody fusion[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2020, 24(33): 5262-5266.

Figures/Tables 9

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