Biomaterials for Spinal Surgery

There have been important developments in materials and therapies for the treatment of spinal conditions. Biomaterials for spinal surgery summarises this research and how it is being applied for the benefit of patients.

There have been important developments in materials and therapies for the treatment of spinal conditions. Biomaterials for spinal surgery summarises this research and how it is being applied for the benefit of patients. After an introduction to the subject, part one reviews fundamental issues such as spinal conditions and their pathologies, spinal loads, modelling and osteobiologic agents in spinal surgery. Part two discusses the use of bone substitutes and artificial intervertebral discs whilst part three covers topics such as the use of injectable biomaterials like calcium phosphate for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty as well as scoliosis implants. The final part of the book summarises developments in regenerative therapies such as the use of stem cells for intervertebral disc regeneration.

Introduction to biomaterials for spinal surgery. Part 1 Fundamentals of biomaterials for spinal surgery: An overview of the challenges of bringing a medical device for the spine to the market
Introduction to spinal pathologies and clinical problems of the spine
Forces on the spine
Finite element modelling of the spine
Osteobiologic agents in spine surgery. Part 2 Spinal fusion and intervertebral discs: Spine fusion: cages, plates and bone substitutes
Artificial intervertebral discs
Biological response to artificial discs. Part 3 Vertobroplasty and scoliosis surgery: The use of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in neurosurgery
Optimising the properties of injectable materials for vertebraplasty and kyphoplasty
Injectable calcium phosphates for vertebral augmentation
Composite injectable materials for vertebroplasty
Scoliosis implants: surgical requirements
Shape memory, superelastic and low Young's modulus alloys. Part 4 Regenerative medicine in the spine: Cell-based tissue engineering approaches for disc regeneration
Angiogenesis control in spine regeneration
Stem cells for disc regeneration
Nucleus regeneration
In vivo models of regenerative medicine in the spine.