Hope College Engineering Department Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer 2009 Project Summary

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) is a commonly practiced surgical procedure used to alleviate problems occurring within the intervertebral discs. The intervertebral implant, an important component of the ACDF procedure, is needed to secure adjacent vertebrae and withstand compression and compression shear forces until bone re-growth or fusion occurs. In this study, a new polymeric implant design was analyzed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Comparisons were made on the effects of various implant geometries such as insertion tool features, central hole size, and implant wall taper on the structural integrity of the design. The results were compared to hand calculations and physical testing. Based on this analysis, it was determined that the FEA-predicted yield loads were consistently lower (42-57%) than those found using hand calculations and physical testing. Although the FEA results were not directly comparable in magnitude to those found in testing, FEA was proven to be a useful tool for comparative study of various geometric design features of the implant. Of the several design variables studied, the insertion tool features proved to have the greatest affect on structural integrity and a design change was implemented to increase the implant yield strength.

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