iSpine

Development of individualized function-integrated spinal implants |

Medical Need

Spinal column pathologies are among the most common diagnoses in ambulatory medical care. Nowadays, aside of restoration of spinal integrity, patients health-related quality of life (HRQOL) gets more in the focus of treatment, especially during the indication process. Evidence based analyses clearly demonstrated the need for secure spinal restoration in the case of spinal instability to reach a satisfactory postoperative quality of life. Therefore, knowing the healing dependent status of the spine by the measurement of the respective mechanical properties is of central interest for the organization and planning of the medical treatment.

The main goal of the project is the realization of an in-operando determination of the loads acting on spinal implants and their analysis for diagnostic purposes. Thus, monitoring of the healing process and the therapeutic strategy as well as the quality of treatment should be significantly improved.

Spine column restoration, function-integrated spinal implant, healing dependent behavior, in-operando load measurement

Project team members |

Clinician |

TU Dresden, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Dresden

University Comprehensive Spine Center (UCSC); UniversityCenter for Orthopaedics, Trauma and Plastic Surgery

Project team members |

High-tech |

TU Dresden,
Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK)

Abstract |

In-vivo measurement of human spinal load conditions is currently difficult to determine by applicable methods. But knowledge about the changes in stress distribution are of high clinical importance as changes may lead to pathological local peak loading resulting in an overuse of anatomical structures, adaption and pathological transformation of the spinal integrity. A biomechanical viscous circle is induced that leads to overuse damage and preliminary degeneration that is negatively correlated with patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

In order to detect un-physiological load patterns at an early stage following surgical spinal interventions, a suitable monitoring method and a function-integrated, individually adapted implant (i³) will be developed within the project. The system will enable to measure localized segmental loading at any stage following surgery, in particular the healing-dependent course of spinal column stresses on the implant.

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