The biomechanical evaluation of a new fixation technique for spondylolysis using single and double tension-band wiring.

Patients with spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis with persistent symptoms are often marked for surgical treatment. This paper presents the results of a biomechanical study which evaluated the effects of two tension-band wiring methods for this clinical anomaly. Experimental spondylolytic defects were created in canine cadaver lumbar spines, and both wiring techniques were evaluated in cantilever bending. The results demonstrated that experimentally created spondylolytic defects produce a significant decrease in bending stiffness (flexion/extension), and that both the intra- and intersegmental wiring techniques increase the bending stiffness to that of the normal intact spinal segment.