Design of an intervertebral fusion cage expandable with the help of a kyphoplasty balloon, analysis with the finite element method, and prototype production

Between each vertebra, there is an intervertebral disc to absorb the impact between the vertebrae. However, over time, the intervertebral disc degenerates due to the aging process and becomes unable to perform its function. Spinal cages are used to replace the degenerating intervertebral disc. Their main function is to stabilize the spine and provide height between the two vertebrae in the motion segment. There are basically two types of spinal cages: fixed and expandable cages. Today, the use of expandable cages has increased significantly due to the fact that each individual has a different bone structure. Due to this bone difference, the height between the vertebrae in each individual is different and can be adjusted, which is an important advantage Kyphoplasty is a procedure performed to restore this height with the help of a balloon due to the collapse of the spine. The kyphoplasty balloon is used to restore height. In this thesis, an expandable spine cage is designed using a kyphoplasty balloon. The spine cage model designed in this thesis was designed using the 3D modeling program NX Unigraphics.