The effect of screw head design on rod derotation in the correction of thoracolumbar spinal deformity

Abstract

Object The use of fixed-axis pedicle screws for correction of thoracolumbar deformity in adult surgery is demanding because of the challenge of assembling the bent rod to the screw in order to achieve curve correction. Polyaxial screw designs, providing increased degrees of freedom at the screw-rod interface, were reported to be insufficient in achieving correction of thoracic deformity in the axial plane. Using a multisegment bovine calf spine model, this study investigated the ability of a new uniplanar screw design to achieve derotation correction of the vertebrae and maintain a degree of correction comparable to that of fixed-axis and polyaxial screw designs. Methods Eighteen calf thoracolumbar spine segments from T-6 to L-1 (n = 6 per screw design) underwent bilateral facetectomies at the T9–11 levels and were instrumented bilaterally with pedicle screws and rods. To assess the efficacy of each screw design in imparting rotational correction, each instrumented level was tested under applied torsional moments designed to simulate the motion applied during derotation surgery. Once rotation was achieved, the whole spine was tested to assess the overall stiffness of the construct. Results The fixed-axis construct showed increased efficacy in imparting rotation compared with the uniplanar (115% increase, p > 0.05) and polyaxial (210% increase, p < 0.05) constructs. Uniplanar screws showed a 21% increase in torsional stiffness compared with the polyaxial screws, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions The design of screw heads plays a significant role in affecting the rotation of the vertebrae during the derotation procedure. Uniplanar screws may have the advantage of maintaining construct stiffness after derotation.