Biomedical subjects

D W McMillan

Publications and source records attributed to D W McMillan.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Sustained loading generates stress concentrations in lumbar intervertebral discs.

STUDY DESIGN: Cadaveric motion segment experiment. Measurements on each specimen were compared before and after creep loading. OBJECTIVES: To show how sustained "creep" loading affects stress distributions inside intervertebral discs. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The central region of an intervertebral disc acts like a hydrostatic "cushion" between adjacent vertebrae. However, this property depends on the water content of the tissues and may be lost or diminished after creep. METHODS: Twenty-seven lumbar motion segments consisting of two vertebrae and the intervening disc and ligaments were loaded to simulate erect standing postures in life. The distribution of compressive stress in the disc matrix was measured by pulling a miniature pressure transducer through the disc in the midsagittal plane. Profiles of vertical and horizontal compressive stress were repeated after each specimen had been creep loaded in compression for 2-6 hours. RESULTS: Creep reduced the hydrostatic pressure in the nucleus by 13-36%. Compressive stresses in the anulus were little affected when the profiles were measured at 1 kN, but at 2 kN, localized peaks of compressive stress appeared (or grew in size) in the posterior anulus after creep. CONCLUSIONS: Increased loading of the apophysial joints causes an overall reduction in intradiscal stresses after creep. In addition, water loss from the nucleus causes a transfer of load from nucleus to anulus. Stress concentrations may lead to pain, structural disruption, and alterations in chondrocyte metabolism. Disc mechanics depend on loading history as well as applied load.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Effect of sustained loading on the water content of intervertebral discs: implications for disc metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To examine regional changes in the fluid content of human intervertebral discs by comparing sagittal plane "profiles" of hydration before and after mechanical loading. METHODS: Cadaveric lumbar intervertebral discs were loaded to simulate a typical day's loading in vivo. Ten motion segments were subjected to a 1500 N compressive load for a period of 6 h with the superior vertebrae inclined by 4-8 degrees to simulate a slightly flexed posture. Immediately after loading the discs were frozen at -80 degrees C. Subsequently they were cut into slices perpendicular to the sagittal midline of the disc, and each slice was weighed before and after freeze drying. This enabled a profile of fluid content across the disc to be constructed. Fluid loss due to loading was estimated by comparing the water content of each loaded disc with that of an adjacent unloaded disc from the same spine. RESULTS: After 6 h of creep loading, disc height approached, but did not quite reach, an equilibrium. The mean fluid loss from all discs was 18%. All regions except the outer 2 mm experienced a significant loss of fluid (P < 0.01). The posterior mid-annulus showed the greatest fluid loss (30%), while the nucleus lost 15%. CONCLUSIONS: A comparison with previously published work suggests that fluid exchange of this magnitude will have a considerable effect on disc cell metabolism and on metabolite transport.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Stress distributions inside intervertebral discs: the validity of experimental "stress profilometry'.

This paper evaluates a technique for measuring the distribution of compressive stress within cadaveric intervertebral discs. A strain-gauged pressure transducer, side-mounted near the tip of a 1.3 mm diameter needle, was inserted into cubes of disc tissue and into intact discs. Regardless of the position and orientation of the transducer within the tissue or disc, its output was found to be proportional to the compressive force applied to the specimen. The distribution of compressive stress was measured by pulling the instrumented needle through the specimen and the resulting stress profiles were reproducible to within 20 per cent. Profiles obtained at different applied loads showed a similar distribution of stress within the disc, suggesting that the compressive stress at any location and direction increased in proportion to the applied load. Since transducer output was also proportional to applied load, it was reasoned that it must be proportional to compressive stress within the disc. The average vertical compressive stresses acting on various regions within a disc were calculated from the stress profiles and multiplied by the cross-sectional area of each region: the resulting force was then compared with the known applied force in order to assess the calibration coefficient of the transducer. Agreement between the two forces was good, indicating that the calibration coefficient established in a saline bath was applicable to disc tissues also. However, artifactual stress peaks could be generated if the transducer was pulled across a bony asperity. It is concluded that the transducer measures the mean compressive stress acting upon it within disc tissues. Errors associated with the technique are small compared to differences in stress distributions which occur naturally, for example when intervertebral discs are loaded to simulate different postures in a living person.

Adult↗