• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.353-358
• /
• 2012

Objective : The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of bone cement-augmented short segment fixation using percutaneous screws for thoracolumbar burst fractures in a background of severe osteoporosis. Methods : Sixteen patients with a single-level thoracolumbar burst fracture (T11-L2) accompanying severe osteoporosis treated from January 2008 to November 2009 were prospectively analyzed. Surgical procedures included postural reduction for 3 days and bone cement augmented percutaneous screw fixation at the fracture level and at adjacent levels without bone fusion. Due to the possibility of implant failure, patients underwent implant removal 12 months after screw fixation. Imaging and clinical findings, including involved vertebral levels, local kyphosis, canal encroachment, and complications were analyzed. Results : Prior to surgery, mean pain score (visual analogue scale) was 8.2 and this decreased to a mean of 2.2 at 12 months after screw fixation. None of the patients complained of pain worsening during the 6 months following implant removal. The percentage of canal compromise at the fractured level improved from a mean of 41.0% to 18.4% at 12 months after surgery. Mean kyphotic angle was improved significantly from $19.8^{\circ}$ before surgery to 7.8 at 12 months after screw fixation. Canal compromise and kyphotic angle improvements were maintained at 6 months after implant removal. No significant neurological deterioration or complications occurred after screw removal in any patient. Conclusion : Bone cement augmented short segment fixation using a percutaneous system can be an alternative to the traditional open technique for the management of selected thoracolumbar burst fractures accompanied by severe osteoporosis.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.243-248
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the removal torque between prefabricated and customized implant abutment screw. Materials and methods: Three types of implant system (Osstem, Astra, Zimmer) were used. For each system, prefabricated abutment screw (control group) and customized abutment screw (test group) were used to connect the fixture and the abutment (n = 6). Digital torque gauze was used to control the tightening torque and the screws were tightened under each manufacturer's recommendation. 10 minutes after the connection the same tightening torque was applied, and 5 minutes after the second connection, the removal torque was measured. This procedure was repeated 10 times. In the cyclic loading test, 10 minutes after the first connection to the 6 groups (n = 3), the same tightening torque was applied, and a total of 1,000,000 time loading was applied at 30 degree angle to long axis with 50 N load. Repeated measures of ANOVA test (${\alpha}$=.05) was used as statistics to evaluate the effect of repeated loading number on the removal torque. Independent t-test was used to evaluate the difference in removal torque after cyclic loading. Results: The removal torque significantly decreased as the number of loading repetition increased (P<.05). In the 10 time repetition test, there was no significant difference between the prefabricated and customized implant abutment screw of the 3 implant system (P<.05). Also in the cyclic loading test, there was no significant difference between the prefabricated and customized implant abutment screw of the 3 implant system (P<.05). Conclusion: Within the limitation of this study, there was no significant difference in the removal torque between the prefabricated abutment screw and customized abutment screws.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.128-135
• /
• 2003

Statement of problem : Implant screw loosening remains a problem in implant prosthodontics. Some abutment screws with treated surfaces were introduced to prevent screw loosening and to increase preload. DLC(Diamond Like Carbon) film has similar properties on hardness, wear resistance, chemical stability, biocompatibility as real diamond materials. Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lubricant layer on abutment screw and to discriminate more effective method between soft lubricant and hard lubricant to prevent screw loosening. Material and method : In this study, $1{\mu}m$ thickness DLC was used as protective, lubricating layer of titanium screws and 3 times removal torque was measured on the abutment screws to investigate the difference in 10 coated and 10 non-coated abutment screws. Results : The results indicated that the implants with DLC coating group were not more resistant to the applied force in screw loosening. At 32Ncm, the 3 times removal torque in DLC group were $27.75{\pm}2.89,\;25.85{\pm}2.35$ and $26.2{\pm}2.57$. The removal torque in no-coated abutment screws were $27.85{\pm}4.23,\;27.35{\pm}2.81$ and $27.9{\pm}2.31$, respectively. Conclusion : The lubricant layer used in this study was Diamond Like Carbon(DLC) and it have a properties of hard and stable layer. The DLC coating layer was hard enough to prevent distortion of screws in the repeated unscrewing procedure in clinical situation. The reduced friction coefficient in hard DLC layer was not effective to prevent screw loosening.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.60-66
• /
• 2015

Screw loosening and screw fracture of abutment is one of most frequent mechanical complications in implant restoration. Fractured fragments in implant restoration like abutment and screw should be completely removed and the procedure needs minimal damage to the fixture of implant. In some cases, it could fail to remove fractured fragments and cause a lot of damage to the fixture of implant. These situations could render implant unusable at the worst. This article describes three different situations and simple techniques for successful removal of fractured fragments without damage of implants. The procedures used are described in this clinical report.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.62-69
• /
• 2016

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of abutment screw length and cyclic loading on the removal torque (RTV) in external hex (EH) and internal hex (IH) implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Forty screw-retained single crowns were connected to external and internal hex implants. The prepared titanium abutment screws were classified into 8 groups based on the number of threads (n = 5 per group): EH 12.5, 6.5, 3.5, 2.5 and IH 6.5, 5, 3.5, 2.5 threads. The abutment screws were tightened with 20 Ncm torque twice with 10-minute intervals. After 5 minutes, the initial RTVs of the abutment screws were measured with a digital torque gauge (MGT12). A customized jig was constructed to apply a load along the implant long axis at the central fossa of the maxillary first molar. The post-loading RTVs were measured after 16,000 cycles of mechanical loading with 50 N at a 1-Hz frequency. Statistical analysis included one-way analysis of variance and paired t-tests. RESULTS. The post-loading RTVs were significantly lower than the initial RTVs in the EH 2.5 thread and IH 2.5 thread groups (P<.05). The initial RTVs exhibited no significant differences among the 8 groups, whereas the post-loading RTVs of the EH 6.5 and EH 3.5 thread groups were higher than those of the IH 3.5 thread group (P<.05). CONCLUSION. Within the limitations of this study, the external hex implants with short screw lengths were more advantageous than internal hex implants with short screw lengths in torque maintenance after cyclic loading.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.55 no.2
• /
• pp.73-77
• /
• 2014

Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of implant removal of percutaneous short segment fixation after vertebral fracture consolidation in terms of motion preservation. Methods : Between May 2007 and January 2011, 44 patients underwent percutaneous short segment screw fixation due to a thoracolumbar burst fracture. Sixteen of these patients, who underwent implant removal 12 months after screw fixation, were enrolled in this study. Motor power was intact in all patients, despite significant vertebral height loss and canal compromise. The patients were divided into two groups by degree of osteoporosis : Group A (n=8), the non-osteoporotic group, and Group B (n=8), the osteoporotic group. Imaging and clinical findings including vertebral height loss, kyphotic angle, range of motion (ROM), and complications were analyzed. Results : Significant pain relief was achieved in both groups at final follow-up versus preoperative values. In terms of vertebral height loss, both groups showed significant improvement at 12 months after screw fixation and restored vertebral height was maintained to final follow-up in spite of some correction loss. ROM (measured using Cobb's method) in flexion and extension in Group A was $10.5^{\circ}$ ($19.5/9.0^{\circ}$) at last follow-up, and in Group B was $10.2^{\circ}$ ($18.8/8.6^{\circ}$) at last follow-up. Both groups showed marked improvement in ROM as compared with the screw fixation state, which was considered motionless. Conclusion : Removal of percutaneous implants after vertebral fracture consolidation can be an effective treatment to preserve motion regardless of osteoporosis for thoracolumbar burst fractures.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.27 no.7
• /
• pp.929-937
• /
• 2003

In general, the electric motor for driving the centrifuge of Decanter type is selected based on the power(starting power) necessary to start the bowl and the screw shaft. However the operation cost of the machine is dependent on the power needed at a steadily operating condition, including the power against the bearing friction and that for the sludge removal. In this paper, the formulation for the sludge-removal power is presented. Sample calculation for a specific design shows that the sludge-removal power is increased with the friction coefficient. It also reveals that the power is mainly dependent on the length of the screw blade rather than the beach angle. Further it is shown that the power increases in square of the rotational speed of the machine.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.396-408
• /
• 2008

Statement of problem: Within the elastic limit of the screw, the greater the preload, the tighter and more secure the screw joint. However, additional tensile forces can incur plastic deformation of the abutment screw when functional loads are superimposed on preload stresses, and they can elicit the loosening or fracture of the abutment screw. Therefore, it is necessary to find the optimum preload that will maximize fatigue life and simultaneously offer a reasonable degree of protection against loosening. Another critical factor in addition to the applied torque which can affect the amount of preload is the joint connection type between implant and abutment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of tightening torque on the implant-abutment screw joint stability. Material and methods: Respectively, three different amount of tightening torque (20, 30, and 40 Ncm) were applied to implant systems with three different joint connections, one external butt joint and two internal cones. The initial removal torque value and the postload (cyclic loading up to 100,000 cycles) removal torque value of the abutment screw were measured with digital torque gauge. Then rate of the initial and the postload removal torque loss were calculated for the comparison of the effect of tightening torques and joint connection types between implant and abutment on the joint stability. Results and conclusion: 1. Increase in tightening torque value resulted in significant increase in initial and postload removal torque value in all implant systems (P < .05). 2. Initial removal torque loss rates in SS II system were not significantly different when three different tightening torque values were applied (P > .05), however GS II and US II systems exhibited significantly lower loss rates with 40 Ncm torque value than with 20 Ncm (P < .05). 3. In all implant systems, postload removal torque loss rates were lowest when the torque value of 30 Ncm was applied (P < .05). 4. Postload removal torque loss rates tended to increase in order of SS II, GS II and US II system. 5. There was no correlation between initial removal torque value and postload removal torque loss rate (P > .05).

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.664-667
• /
• 2008

Since the advent of pedicle screw fixation system, posterior spinal fusion has markedly increased This intemal fixation system has been reported to enhance the fusion rates, thereby becoming very popular procedure in posterior spinal arthrodesis. Although some previous studies have shown the complications of spinal instruments removal, i.e. loss of correction and spinal collapse in scoliosis or long spine fusion patients, there has been no study describing the benefit or complications in lumbar spinal fusion surgery of one or two level. In order to clarify the effect of removal of instruments on mechanical motion profile, we simulated a finite element model of instrumented posterolateral fused lumbar spine model, and investigated the change of mechanical motion profiles after the removal of instrumentation.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.102-106
• /
• 2009

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM. Screw loosening has been a common complication and still reported frequently. PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate abrasion of the implant fixture and TiN coated abutment screw after repeated delivery and removal with universal measuring microscope. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Implant systems used for this study were Osstem and 3i. Seven pairs of implant fixtures, abutments and abutment screws for each system were selected and all the fixtures were perpendicularly mounted in liquid unsaturated poly-esther with dental surveyor. After 20 times of repeated closing and opening test, the evaluation for the change of inner surface of implant and TiN-coated abutment screw, and weight loss were measured. Mann-Whitney test with SPSS statistical software for Window was applied to analyze the measurement of weight loss. RESULTS. TiN-coated abutment screws of Osstem and 3i showed lesser loss of weight than non-coated those of Osstem and 3i (P < .05, Mann-Whitney test). CONCLUSION. Conclusively, TiN coating of abutment screw showed better resistance to abrasion than titanium abutment screw. It was concluded that TiN coating of abutment screw would reduce the loss of preload with good abrasion resistance and low coefficient of friction, and help to maintain screw joint stability.