Acupuncture needle manipulation gives rise to "needle grasp," a biomechanical phenomenon characterized by an increase in the force necessary to pull the needle out of the tissue (pullout force). This study investigates the hypothesis that winding of connective tissue, rather than muscle contraction, is the mechanism responsible for needle grasp. We performed 1) measurements of pullout force in ...

Short-segment instrumentation for spine fractures is threatened by relatively high failure rates. Failure of the spinal pedicle screws including breakage and loosening may jeopardize the fixation integrity and lead to treatment failure. Two important design objectives, bending strength and pullout strength, may conflict with each other and warrant a multiobjective optimization study. In the pre...

It is well known that fibers improve the performance of cementitious composites by acting as bridging ligaments in cracks. Such bridging behavior is often studied through fiber pullout tests. The relation between the pullout force vs. slip end displacement is characteristic of the fiber-matrix interface. However, such a relation varies significantly with the fiber inclination angle. In the curr...

STUDY DESIGN Using fresh cadavers, the biomechanical testing were used to examine the pullout strength of each pedicle screw. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate pullout strength of (1) a redirected pedicle screw following lateral wall breach; (2) a redirected pedicle screw following end-plate breach; and (3) a pedicle without redirection after end-plate breach without redirection...

BACKGROUND: The use of pedicle screws is becoming increasingly popular for spinal surgery practice as the technology advances. Screw pullout due to bone quality and loading conditions is one of the most common problems observed after pedicle screw fixation. Several solutions were studied to prevent screw pullout. These can be investigated under three main categories: screw design, expandable sc...

BACKGROUND Understanding of implant failure mechanisms is important in the successful utilization of anterior cervical plates. Many variables influence screw purchase, including the quality of the bone. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of screw pullout and screw insertional torque across a wide range of bone mineral densities (BMDs). METHODS A total of 54 cervical vert...

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to quantify the in vitro range of motion (ROM) of oblique as compared with anterior lumbar interbody devices, pullout resistance, and subsidence in fatigue. METHODS Anterior and oblique cages with integrated plate fixation (IPF) were tested using lumbar motion segments. Flexibility tests were conducted on the intact segments, cage, cage + IPF, and cage + IP...

STUDY DESIGN Axial pullout tests using fresh cadaveric thoracolumbar vertebral bodies. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of a new injectable calcium phosphate cement on the axial pullout strength of both revised and augmented pedicle screws in comparison with polymethyl methacrylate and in terms of injection method. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Failure of pedicle screws by loosening and back ...