Background: Plate-screw fixation systems have been widely applied in anterior cervical decompression surgery, yet the design of the plates themselves and a series of severe complications arising therefrom have attracted increasing attention from clinicians and scholars. In this study, a novel anterior cervical plate system was designed and subjected to biomechanical testing.
Methods: Twelve fresh goat cadaveric specimens were used. A high-precision digital grating displacement sensor system was used to compare the stability, fatigue resistance, and pull-out strength of the novel PRUNUS plate-screw system to those of the Atlantis plate-screw system in destabilized cervical spines.
Results: The biomechanical test results revealed that the novel PRUNUS plate-screw system provided equivalent three-dimensional stability to that of the Atlantis system, ensuring immediate postoperative stability of the cervical spine after anterior cervical internal fixation and meeting the requirements for rigid internal fixation. In addition, the PRUNUS system exhibited a similar fatigue life and fatigue strength to those of the Atlantis system, which was sufficient to maintain cervical stability after anterior interbody fusion, confirming the long-term safety and efficacy of the PRUNUS system in vivo. The PRUNUS system also showed superior overall fixation and locking performance.
Conclusion: The novel PRUNUS plate-screw system possesses excellent biomechanical properties and provides effective stabilization for the cervical spine.
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