Pedicle Screw Fixation

Pedicle screws are considered the ‘gold standard’ in posterior spinal surgery for stabilizing fractures, promoting fusion and correcting spinal alignment. However, in the past 15 years there has been a rise in their most prevalent clinical failure, a loss of fixation at the bone-screw interface. Pedicle screw loosening was investigated by means of a surgeon survey, quantifying in vivo failure patterns, and by using pre-clinical testing methods to ascertain the most favorable screw positionings, augmentation techniques, and screw design features.