Publications by authors named "Sridharan Alathur Ramakrishnan"

Purpose: To develop a novel 3D printable polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-hydroxyapatite (HA)-magnesium orthosilicate (MgSiO) composite material with enhanced properties for potential use in tumour, osteoporosis and other spinal conditions. We aim to evaluate biocompatibility and imaging compatibility of the material.

Methods: Materials were prepared in three different compositions, namely composite A: 75 weight % PEEK, 20 weight % HA, 5 weight % MgSiO; composite B: 70 weight% PEEK, 25 weight % HA, 5 weight % MgSiO; and composite C: 65 weight % PEEK, 30 weight % HA, 5 weight % MgSiO.

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Purpose: To manufacture and test 3D printed novel design titanium spine rods with lower flexural modulus and stiffness compared to standard solid titanium rods for use in metastatic spine tumour surgery (MSTS) and osteoporosis.

Methods: Novel design titanium spine rods were designed and 3D printed. Three-point bending test was performed to assess mechanical performance of rods, while a French bender was used to assess intraoperative rod contourability.

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Background: Readmission-free survival (ReAFS) is a novel clinical and quality metric after metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS). We believe that factors influencing ReAFS after index MSTS vary based on time. We considered 2 time frames and defined short-term ReAFS as survival without an unplanned hospital readmission up to 90 days and long-term ReAFS as survival without unplanned hospital readmission up to 1 year after MSTS.

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"Metastatic Spine Disease" (MSD) often requires surgical intervention and instrumentation with spinal implants. Ti6Al4V is widely used in metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS) and is the current implant material of choice due to improved biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and compatibility with imaging modalities compared to stainless steel. However, it is still not the ideal implant material due to the following issues.

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Article Synopsis
  • The systematic review aimed to identify the best characteristics for adults with spondylolysis or grade-I spondylolisthesis who are suitable for pars repair, and to assess the safety and effectiveness of the repair techniques used in this population.
  • The review analyzed 5,813 articles, narrowing down to 47 relevant studies involving 590 adults, primarily young males presenting with persistent low back pain and a high incidence of bilateral lysis defects.
  • Most participants had no disc degeneration, with the majority diagnosed with spondylolysis and treated predominantly through the Buck's repair technique, which demonstrated a positive outcome in the majority of cases.
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Instrumentation during metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS) provides stability to the spinal column in patients with pathologic fracture or iatrogenic instability produced while undergoing extensive decompression. Titanium is the current implant material of choice in MSTS. However, it hinders radiotherapy planning and generates artifacts, with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans used for postoperative evaluation of tumor recurrence and/or complications.

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