Biomechanical Evaluation of Anterior Cervical Spine Fixation Devices

The anterior cervical plate fixation systems have been widely used in treatment of complex spinal disorders such as traumatic lesion, disc hernination, tumor, spondylosis, arthritides, and others. Combined with bone graft or other fusion techniques the satisfactory outcomes were higher than 88% (Clements 1990, Naito 1993,Bose 1998, Schneeberger 1999). Among the screw plate fixation systems, Caspar plating and AO titanium locking plate system are markedly popular by many surgeons. The Caspar anterior plate system has been proven to yield solid construct, and to obviate the need for simultaneous posterior stabilization( Tippets, 1988; Garvey, 1992; 1993;Naito, 1993;Bose, 1998). AO anterior cervical locking plate is recommended for situation where traditional technique might be unsatisfactory; such as multilevel anterior spine defects, post-traumatic cervical kyphosis, and cervical fractures with posterior disruption require anterior fusion. It is considered to be safer and effective, due to the system does not gait purchase on the posterior cortex (Suh, 1990; Kostuik, 1993, Tominaga, 1994).