Abstract Objective To test the biomechanicalinitial stability of the uncovertebral joint fusion cage.Methods 20 goat cervical specimens were randomly assigned to 4 groups:Group A,the intact cervical spine group;Group B,the iliac bone group;Group C,the uncovertebral joint fusion cage group;Group D,the non-profile cage control group.The specimens were exposed to nondestructive testing in all 3 planes of spinal motion:extension/flexion,lateral bending and axial rotation,using the moment of force 1 N·m,2 N·m,3 N·m,and 4 N·m.The flexibility method was used for evaluation of stability,and nonconstrained pure moment bending load was applied for three loading and unloading cycles in each plane,while the data of the final cycle was recorded for analysis of range of motion (ROM).Results The ROM of extension/flexion,lateral bending and axial rotation in the uncovertebral joint fusion cage group and the non-profile cage control group were both smaller than the iliac bone group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference concerning ROM of extension/flexion between the uncovertebral joint fusion cage group and the non-profile cage control group.The ROM of lateral bending and axial rotation in the uncovertebral joint fusion cage group was smaller than the non-profile cage control group(P<0.05).Conclusion The uncovertebral joint fusion cage and the non-profile cage can both provide better initial stability compared the iliac bone.The uncovertebral joint fusion cage can provide similar initial extension/flexion stability but a little better lateral bending and axial rotation stability compared with the non-profile cage.
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