Effects of bone materials on the screw pull-out strength in human spine.

A three-dimensional finite element model simulating the threaded connections including detailed helix curve for the bone and surgical screw was constructed. Validation of the FE model was conducted by comparing the predicted screw pull-out strength in different foam materials against experimental study. The FE model was then further analyzed to investigate the interaction of bone material and purchase length on the screw pull-out strength. The results show that failure of the connection was due to bone shearing which occurred along a cylindrical surface determined by the outer perimeter of the screw. The cortical shell resists around 50% of the pull-out strength for a screw of 4mm in major diameter and 22 mm in length. The effects of purchase length on the pull-out strength were different for different bone material. It is the bone material that determines the stability of the inserted surgical screw. The significance of the purchase length on the pull-out strength of cortical screw will be much lower than that in cancellous bone screw.