Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Orthopaedic Trauma, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
J Biomed Mater Res A. 2023 Dec;111(12):1888-1902. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.37593. Epub 2023 Aug 9.
Biomaterials for nucleus pulposus (NP) replacement and regeneration have great potential to restore normal biomechanics in degenerated intervertebral discs following nucleotomy. Mechanical characterizations are essential for assessing the efficacy of biomaterial implants for clinical applications. While traditional compression tests are crucial to quantify various modulus values, relaxation behaviors and fatigue resistance, rheological measurements should also be conducted to investigate the viscoelastic properties, injectability, and overall stability upon deformation. To recapitulate the physiological in vivo environment, the use of spinal models is necessary to evaluate the risk of implant extrusion and the restoration of biomechanics under different loading conditions. When designing devices for NP replacement, injectable materials are ideal to fully fill the nucleus cavity and prevent implant migration. In addition to achieving biocompatibility and desirable mechanical characteristics, biomaterial implants should be optimized to avoid implant extrusion or re-herniation post-operatively. This review discusses the most commonly used testing protocols for assessing mechanical properties of biomaterial implants and serves as reference material for enabling researchers to characterize NP implants through a unified approach whereby newly developed biomaterials may be compared and contrasted to existing devices.
用于髓核（NP）置换和再生的生物材料具有在核切术后恢复退变椎间盘正常生物力学的巨大潜力。机械特性分析对于评估生物材料植入物的临床应用效果至关重要。虽然传统的压缩测试对于量化各种模量值、松弛行为和耐疲劳性至关重要，但流变学测量也应进行，以研究粘弹性、可注射性以及变形时的整体稳定性。为了再现生理的体内环境，有必要使用脊柱模型来评估在不同加载条件下植入物挤出的风险和生物力学的恢复情况。在设计用于 NP 置换的设备时，可注射材料是完全填充核腔并防止植入物迁移的理想选择。除了实现生物相容性和理想的机械特性外，生物材料植入物还应进行优化，以避免术后植入物挤出或再次疝出。本综述讨论了评估生物材料植入物机械性能最常用的测试方案，为研究人员通过统一的方法来表征 NP 植入物提供了参考材料，通过这种方法，可以对新开发的生物材料进行比较和对比现有的设备。
