DSTU: Lumbar Spinal Implants

2023: Lumbar Spine Implant Announcement

At the end of March 2023, the Don State Technical University (DSTU) reported on metal implants (cages) developed by university specialists intended for the lumbar spine.

Cage, developed at DSTU as part of the Priority 2030 university development program, is intended for use in operations on the lumbosacral region for vertebral fractures or erasure of intervertebral discs (cage for the thoracic and cervical departments have a different shape). In addition to the cages themselves, the scientists designed a tool that helps the surgeon inject them into the intervertebral space during surgery.

Implants for the lumbar spine have been developed in Russia

It is noted that the implant has a porous structure and a rough surface, which contributes to the achievement of optimal bone integration over the entire surface of the implant. After the cage is installed at the rehabilitation stage, the pores are filled with collagen fibers.

The instrument used by the surgeon in such an operation is equipped with an elongated rod, and a device is installed on its handle that allows the doctor to introduce a cage into the intervertebral space. Kaji DSTU, according to their creators, are able to successfully replace imported spinal implants.

The cage developed at DSTU is capable of withstanding loads arising in the human body weighing up to 122 kg. The project was headed by the head of the REC "Materials" DSTU, d. So-called, professor Valery Varavka.

Experimental and experimental samples have successfully passed technical tests and toxicological studies. As Professor Varavka noted, the researchers experimentally calculated the permissible load for cage when working on compression and other loads in order to avoid the appearance of a fatigue crack. In the future, it is planned to serial production of a medical device and a tool for its installation.^[1]

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