Long-Term Effects of Segmental Lumbar Spinal Fusion on Adjacent Healthy Discs: A Finite Element Study.

Study Design: Experimental study.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to develop a finite element (FE) model to study the long-term effects of various types of lumbar spinal interventions on the discs adjacent to the fused segment.

Overview Of Literature: Earlier FE studies have been limited to one particular type of fusion and comparative quantification of the adjacent disc stresses for different types of surgical interventions has not been reported.