A study recently published in Clinical Spine Surgery examined posterior lumber fusion using PEEK rods.
There are benefits and drawbacks to rigid fixation with titanium rods, according to the study authors, and some have advocated semirigid PEEK rods where the biomechanical properties have shown "improved stress-shielding characteristics and anterior load-sharing properties." This study aimed to evaluate The PEEK rod's clinical application in the lumbar spine.
The study authors conducted a retrospective study of 42 patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion from 2007 to 2009 to treat lumbar spine degenerative disease with PEEK rods. The researchers found:
1. Eight patients required reoperation; five of the patients had adjacent segment disease and three reported nonunion with cage migration.
2. The documented fusion rate was 86 percent.
3. Patients were followed for 31.4 months on average and there wasn't a statistical difference in the fusion or reoperation rate between those who were older or younger, male or female.
4. The patients who underwent single and multilevel fusions reported similar fusion and reoperation rates. There was no difference between the patients who did and did not have an interbody graft.
5. Patients who smoked showed a trend toward increased reoperation risk for adjacent segment disease or implant failure.
"PEEK rods demonstrate a similar fusion and reoperation rate in comparison to other instrumentation modalities in the treatment of degenerative lumbar spine disease," concluded the study authors.