Materials in Spine Surgery

A wide variety of surgical procedures ranging from laminectomy to vertebral body resection are used to restore spinal function. Accordingly, a wide range of man-made and natural materials are used as supplements to improve the long term success rate of these procedures and patient comfort. Requirements for the materials used in spine surgery are similar to other applications; tissue compatibility in terms of mechanical, chemical and pharmacological requirements. The requirements may change as the tissue heals with time. It is imperative that the materials be "dynamic" in their abilities to respond to the changing environmental needs. Due to technical innovations in the area of biomaterials, newer materials have been proposed for the spinal surgery. Graft materials (fat, allo-, auto, BMP), metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites are used to restore spinal function.