Influence of cervical disc degeneration after posterior surgical techniques in combined flexion-extension--a nonlinear analytical study

Laminectomy and facetectomy are surgical techniques used for decompression of the cervical spinal stenosis. Recent in vitro and finite element studies have shown significant cervical spinal instability after performing these surgical techniques. However, the influence of degenerated cervical disk on the biomechanical responses of the cervical spine after these surgical techniques remains unknown. Therefore, a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model of the human cervical spine (C2-C7) was created. Two types of disk degeneration grades were simulated. For each grade of disk degeneration, the intact as well as the two surgically altered models simulating C5 laminectomy with or without C5-C6 total facetectomies were exercised under flexion and extension. Intersegmental rotational motions, internal disk annulus, cancellous and cortical bone stresses were obtained and compared to the normal intact model. Results showed that the cervical rotational motion decreases with progressive disk degeneration. Decreases in the rotational motion due to disk degeneration were accompanied by higher cancellous and cortical bone stress. The surgically altered model showed significant increases in the rotational motions after laminectomies and facetectomies when compared to the intact model. However, the percentage increases in the rotational motions after various surgical techniques were reduced with progressive disk degeneration.