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The rapid advancement in skills we have seen in modern years has led to exciting discoveries in which the field of spine surgery can drastically improve. The use of 3D printing in the making of spinal surgery implants can allow for templates that are personalized and specific to each patient. In addition to the Vinci’s robotic system which has gained traction within surgical procedure, new robotic systems that have been developed for spinal procedures may increase the precision of techniques such as pedicle screw placement.

Improvement of intra operative surgical methods while performing spinal procedures are owed to advances in the surgical devices, optics, and approaches. Endoscopic surgery is one such technique that can enable modestly invasive decompression to take place, which may potentially lead to superior patient safety. Innovations in refined protocols utilized while performing lumbar fusion without general end tracheal anesthesia represent a capable way to achieve sedation, which may improve patient outcomes and prevent early post operational complication. Let us consider some of the prospective Biomaterials forSpinal Surgery:

Titanium
Great success has been achieved thus far using cages, rods, screws, hooks, wires, plates, bolts, and additional kind of spinal implants prepared from stainless steel and titanium metal. The great improvement of titanium is that it is allows for enhanced CT and MRI imaging to be performed after implantation with modest interference. Stainless steel causes required amount of blurring of CT and MRI images.

Bone Graft
Other kind of materials used in spinal surgery takes in bone graft. Bone is either harvested from the patient's own body or bone from a bone bank can be used. This bone bank bone comes from cadavers and is commercially processed for transplantation into patients. One problem is bone taken from the patient's pelvic bone can cause constant pain, the other is the supply of cadaver bone can be restricted.

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
A study says genetically-engineered proteins called Bone Morphogenetic Proteins will be commercially available for fusion surgery of bones. This will reduce the need for either autologous and allograft bone use and all of the potential morbidity and boundaries inbuilt in these grafts. BMP can be placed inside a collagen sponge or other ceramic-type implants to be used in areas of desired fusion like disc space, backside of the spine, instead of bone. We may be using biodegradable spacers in the near future that BMP allow for a solid fusion, and then dissolve away themselves leaving only fusion bone at the back.

Carbon Fiber
Other materials have been used as carriers of bone graft replacements such as ceramic and carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is radiolucent that signifies implants made of this material do not show up on x-ray. This allows the bone fusion to be better seen. Future developments eventually are expected to bring greater advances.

Plastics and Polymers
Some forms of plastic are being developed such as polyether ketone combinations that will be radiolucent yet provide strength and support. Polylactic Acid polymers are also being developed that can actually biodegrade over time. Poly Lactic Acid will do its work in holding bone graft material and providing support long enough for a fusion to take place.

We thus hope this article would satisfy your intellectual curiosities and gain an appreciation for the new and exciting discoveries that are occurring on a daily basis in spine surgery.