Tag: Tissue engineering

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Nanotechnology in Spine Surgery: A Current Update and Critical Review of the Literature

World Neurosurg. (2019) 123:142-155

Nanotechnology is a promising field with numerous applications across various branches of medicine. The unique innate physical, chemical, and biological properties of nanoparticles enable them to serve as appropriate agents performing diverse functions at cellular and subcellular levels. Spinal pathologies constitute one major field where its applications are being explored.

METHODS: A critical review of literature was performed to identify the cur- rent role of nanotechnology in spine surgery. A PubMed search was done using the following key words: “nanotechnology in neurosurgery,” “nanotechnology in surgery,” “nanotechnology in spine,” “nanotechnology in spine surgery,” “nanotechnology in disc regeneration,” “nanotechnology in spinal injury,” “nanotechnology in spinal cord regeneration,” “nanotechnology in spine fusion,” “nanotechnology in osteoporosis,” “nanotechnology in spinal drug delivery,” and “nanotechnology in spinal infection.” Initial search revealed 347 articles. Articles were further screened. Duplicate articles, articles on non- nanotechnologic topics, nonspine articles, or articles with details not pertaining to the current field of interest and non-English language studies were excluded.

RESULTS: A total of 76 articles were finally included. Nanotechnologic ad- vancements in spine surgery include applications in spinal fusion, central nervous system drug delivery, neuronal regeneration, disk regeneration, spinal infection prophylaxis, management of osteoporosis, sutureless vascular anas- tomosis, molecular imaging, and theranostic medicine.

CONCLUSIONS: Nanotechnology in spine surgery is still in its early stages. Eventually, we may see the implementation of nanotechnology as an alternative to existing treatment options. Concerns regarding safety of this technology need to be addressed through future research projects. Although promising, the exact role of nanotechnology in spine surgery remains to be seen.

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The Recent Revolution in the Design and Manufacture of Cranial Implants

The Recent Revolution in the Design and Manufacture of Cranial Implants

Neurosurgery 77:814–824, 2015

Large format (ie, .>25 cm2) cranioplasty is a challenging procedure not only from a cosmesis standpoint, but also in terms of ensuring that the patient’s brain will be well-protected from direct trauma.

Until recently, when a patient’s own cranial flap was unavailable, these goals were unattainable. Recent advances in implant computer-aided design and 3-dimensional (3-D) printing are leveraging other advances in regenerative medicine. It is now possible to 3-D-print patient-specific implants from a variety of polymer, ceramic, or metal components.

A skull template may be used to design the external shape of an implant that will become well integrated in the skull, while also providing beneficial distribution of mechanical force in the event of trauma.

Furthermore, an internal pore geometry can be utilized to facilitate the seeding of banked allograft cells. Implants may be cultured in a bioreactor along with recombinant growth factors to produce implants coated with bone progenitor cells and extracellular matrix that appear to the body as a graft, albeit a tissue-engineered graft.

The growth factors would be left behind in the bioreactor and the graft would resorb as new host bone invades the space and is remodeled into strong bone. As we describe in this review, such advancements will lead to optimal replacement of cranial defects that are both patient-specific and regenerative.

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