Rigid Fixation of the Spinal Column Improves Scaffold Alignment and Prevents Scoliosis in the Transected Rat Spinal Cord

This study investigates a method to improve the stability of tissue-engineered scaffolds implanted into damaged spinal cords in rats. The researchers used spinal fixation, a technique involving a metal rod to stabilize the spine, and assessed its impact on scaffold alignment and spinal deformities. The scientists implanted scaffolds into spinal transection injuries in rats, with one group receiving spinal fixation and the other serving as a control. They used radiographic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the alignment of the implanted scaffolds and the development of spinal deformities. The research found that spinal fixation significantly reduced scoliosis and scaffold malalignment in the rats with spinal cord injuries. This suggests that spinal stabilization can improve the delivery and assessment of regenerative therapies in the injured spinal cord.

• 1
  Spinal fixation significantly reduced scoliosis in the fixed group (1.89 ± 0.75°) compared to the unfixed group (8.13 ± 2.03°).
• 2
  A trend for less kyphosis was evident in the fixed group (7.33 ± 1.68°) compared with the unfixed group (10.13 ± 1.46°).
• 3
  Scaffold malalignment was significantly less in the fixed group (5 ± 1.23°) compared with the unfixed group (11 ± 2.82°).