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Analysis of the disc pressure of the upper thoracic spine using pressure-sensitive film: an experimental study in porcine model—implications for scoliosis progression

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Abstract

There has been few studies focusing on the disc pressure of the upper thoracic spine and it still lacks the quantitative pressure measurement of each spinal disc segment. The aim of this study was to study the pressure changes of intervertebral disc in porcine upper thoracic spine using pressure-sensitive film. Twelve porcine thoracic motion segments were harvested and successively loaded with vertical loads of 100 N, 150 N, and 200 N during 5° of anterior flexion, 5° of posterior extension and 5° of lateral bending. The resulting pressure values were measured. During anterior flexion, the anterior annulus of all segments at all loads showed higher mean pressure values than those during vertical compression, whereas the posterior annulus did not show higher mean values. During posterior extension, the anterior annulus of all segments showed lower mean pressure values than those during vertical compression, whereas the posterior annulus did not show lower mean pressure values. During lateral bending, the annulus of all segments showed higher mean pressure values than those during vertical compression. The posterior thoracic vertebra plays an important role in the motion of the upper thoracic vertebral segment and pressure distribution. During lateral bending, the concave side pressure of the annulus increases obviously, suggesting that asymmetrical force is a contributory factor for scoliosis progression.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Changlin Han for providing experiment site and biomechanical test machine.

Funding

The study was approved by the Key Project of Medical Scientific Research of Hebei Province (No. 20180611) and Key Research and Development Plan of Hebei Province (No. 18277745D). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Children’s Hospital of Hebei Province, No. 133, South Jianhua Street, Shijiazhuang, 050031, People’s Republic of China

    Zhao Meng, Chen Wang & Xuzhao Guo

  2. Department of Traumatology Orthopaedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Chen

  3. Department of Spinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China

    Wenyuan Ding

Authors
  1. Zhao Meng
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  2. Chen Wang
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  3. Xuzhao Guo
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  4. Wei Chen
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Correspondence to Zhao Meng.

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The experimental tests on animals were in compliance with the requirements of the Ethics Committee of the Children's Hospital of Hebei Province.

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Meng, Z., Wang, C., Guo, X. et al. Analysis of the disc pressure of the upper thoracic spine using pressure-sensitive film: an experimental study in porcine model—implications for scoliosis progression. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 42, 1069–1079 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-019-00804-y

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