ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences 2015 June;59(2):91-6

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rods: short-term results in lumbar spine degenerative disease

Colangeli S. ¹, Barbanti Brodàno G. ¹, Gasbarrini A. ¹, Bandiera S. ¹, Mesfin A. ², Griffoni C. ², Boriani S. ² ✉

¹ Department of Oncological and Degenerative Spine Surgery, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy; ² Division of Spinal Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Rochester Medical Centre, Rochester, UK

Pedicle screw and rod instrumentation has become the preferred technique for performing stabilization and fusion in the surgical treatment of lumbar spine degenerative disease. Rigid fixation leads to high fusion rates but may also contribute to stress shielding and adjacent segment degeneration. Thus, the use of semirigid rods made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has been proposed. Although the PEEK rods biomechanical properties, such as anterior load sharing properties, have been shown, there are few clinical studies evaluating their application in the lumbar spine surgical treatment. This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative disease using PEEK rods, in order to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes and the incidence of complications.