Keywords: Vertebral fracture, Spine metastases, Spine stabilization, Minimally invasive
 

"Stent-screw-Assisted Internal Fixation (SAIF): Minimally-Invasive Vertebral Body Reconstruction in Extensive Neoplastic and Osteoporotic Lesions"

This thesis investigated a novel minimally invasive surgical technique to restore strength and stability to the vertebrae affected by severe osteoporotic or neoplastic fractures. This technique restores the strength of the weakened vertebra inserting a scaffold inside the vertebra combining the use of metallic stents and screws, filled with synthetic bone cement, and applying an “armed concrete” approach. Therefore, the technique is called Stent-screw Assisted Internal Fixation, or SAIF. A peculiarity of this technique is also that it leaves the spine its natural flexibility and mobility, not implying any intervertebral fusion. This technique was investigated throughout this thesis in its biomechanical aspects and in its clinical applications, both on a series of patients affected by severe osteoporotic fractures and on patients affected by metastatic neoplastic lesions of the spine. The biomechanical and clinical results of those studies demonstrate the safety and the efficacy of the SAIF technique and seem to support the concept that this technique can replace, in selected cases, more invasive surgical approaches, which could be of advantage, especially for elderly or fragile patients.

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