Regional variation of vertebral endplates strength

Anterior column of the spine, especially vertebral endplates, plays an important role in intervertebral spinal reconstruction. Therefore the intrinsic benefits associated with the use of intervertebral implants, there are many complications that can be observed with the use of this support. One of the most common of those problems is subsidence of the implant into the vertebral body [1].This can lead to pain, deformity or nerve damage and often must to be corrected by revision surgery. The vertebral endplate is the thin layer of dense, subchondral bone adjacent to the intervertebral disc. The endplates are approximately 1mm thick and contribute to the resilence of the motion segment [2]. There are only a few analysis in literature presented the regional changes in vertebral endplates [3,4] and correlation between endplates strength and bone density [5,6]. The analysis of mechanical properties of vertebral endplates is important for better understanding of their role in spine biomechanics. The purpose of this study was to estimate the regional variation of superior and inferior vertebrae endplates strength.