The influence of the "penetration-" and the "filling-ratios" on the pull-out strength of transpedicular screws

The stress field developed in the human lumbar vertebral bone due to the presence of transpedicular fixation screws is studied in an attempt to quantify the force required to pull the screw out of the bone. The study is focused on the pure pull-out phenomenon, namely the case in which the external loads act parallel to the longitudinal axis of the screw. The parameters considered are the penetration ratio, i.e. the ratio of the screw length divided by the distance from the posterior pedicle entrance site to the anterior vertebral cortex, and the filling ratio, i.e. the ratio of the major diameter of the screw divided by the transverse diameter of the pedicle. The study is carried out numerically with the aid of the finite element method. The analysis takes into account both the variation of the mechanical properties of the bone in terms of the distance from its surface as well as the geometrical details of a typical transpedicular screw. The results of the analysis are compared with existing experimental data from the literature and the comparison is very satisfactory.