Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation

This study proposes a novel expandable spinal cage to maximize the effectiveness of spinal fusion surgery in the treatment of lumbar disk disorders and aims to verify its mechanical stability through finite element method (FEM) analysis and mechanical testing. To address the limitations of existing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chanwoo Park, Than Trong Khanh Dat, Sung-Jun Park, Dong-Sik Chae, Sung Hoon Choi, Jonghun Yoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6323
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849721940088979456
author Chanwoo Park
Than Trong Khanh Dat
Sung-Jun Park
Dong-Sik Chae
Sung Hoon Choi
Jonghun Yoon
author_facet Chanwoo Park
Than Trong Khanh Dat
Sung-Jun Park
Dong-Sik Chae
Sung Hoon Choi
Jonghun Yoon
author_sort Chanwoo Park
collection DOAJ
description This study proposes a novel expandable spinal cage to maximize the effectiveness of spinal fusion surgery in the treatment of lumbar disk disorders and aims to verify its mechanical stability through finite element method (FEM) analysis and mechanical testing. To address the limitations of existing cages, which do not provide sufficient height and angle expansion and have constraints in independently adjusting height and angle with continuous fine-tuning, this study introduces a new linkage mechanism. This design enables precise spinal alignment restoration tailored to the individual anatomical characteristics of patients, even in minimally invasive surgical environments, distinguishing itself from traditional rack-and-pinion or wedge-based designs. The results of FEM analysis and static load testing demonstrated a high correlation between the predicted yield locations in FEM analysis and actual test results. Furthermore, the compression and compression–shear load tests confirmed that the proposed cage achieved an ultimate load exceeding the lowest fifth percentile of FDA-approved products, meeting clinical requirements. The proposed expandable spinal cage offers significant improvements over existing products and has the potential to evolve into a safer and more effective spinal fusion device through further dynamic fatigue testing and clinical studies to assess long-term durability and practical applicability.
format Article
id doaj-art-232be00bcf0347088dfbdfc91ceb68fe
institution DOAJ
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-232be00bcf0347088dfbdfc91ceb68fe2025-08-20T03:11:30ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-06-011511632310.3390/app15116323Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion OperationChanwoo Park0Than Trong Khanh Dat1Sung-Jun Park2Dong-Sik Chae3Sung Hoon Choi4Jonghun Yoon5Department of Mechanical Engineering, BK21 FOUR ERICA-ACE Center, Hanyang University, 55, Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si 15588, Republic of KoreaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, VietnamSchool of Mechanical, Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering, Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju 27469, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary’s Hospital, Incheon 22711, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, BK21 FOUR ERICA-ACE Center, Hanyang University, 55, Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si 15588, Republic of KoreaThis study proposes a novel expandable spinal cage to maximize the effectiveness of spinal fusion surgery in the treatment of lumbar disk disorders and aims to verify its mechanical stability through finite element method (FEM) analysis and mechanical testing. To address the limitations of existing cages, which do not provide sufficient height and angle expansion and have constraints in independently adjusting height and angle with continuous fine-tuning, this study introduces a new linkage mechanism. This design enables precise spinal alignment restoration tailored to the individual anatomical characteristics of patients, even in minimally invasive surgical environments, distinguishing itself from traditional rack-and-pinion or wedge-based designs. The results of FEM analysis and static load testing demonstrated a high correlation between the predicted yield locations in FEM analysis and actual test results. Furthermore, the compression and compression–shear load tests confirmed that the proposed cage achieved an ultimate load exceeding the lowest fifth percentile of FDA-approved products, meeting clinical requirements. The proposed expandable spinal cage offers significant improvements over existing products and has the potential to evolve into a safer and more effective spinal fusion device through further dynamic fatigue testing and clinical studies to assess long-term durability and practical applicability.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6323spinelumbarfusioncageinterbody deviceexpandable
spellingShingle Chanwoo Park
Than Trong Khanh Dat
Sung-Jun Park
Dong-Sik Chae
Sung Hoon Choi
Jonghun Yoon
Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
Applied Sciences
spine
lumbar
fusion
cage
interbody device
expandable
title Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
title_full Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
title_fullStr Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
title_full_unstemmed Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
title_short Novel Design of Expandable Spinal Cage for Efficient Lumbar Spine Fusion Operation
title_sort novel design of expandable spinal cage for efficient lumbar spine fusion operation
topic spine
lumbar
fusion
cage
interbody device
expandable
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6323
work_keys_str_mv AT chanwoopark noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation
AT thantrongkhanhdat noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation
AT sungjunpark noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation
AT dongsikchae noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation
AT sunghoonchoi noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation
AT jonghunyoon noveldesignofexpandablespinalcageforefficientlumbarspinefusionoperation