Finite Element Analysis of Cervical Spinal Stenosis: A Brief Review

Cervical spinal stenosis (CSS) is a degenerative condition characterized by narrowing of the spinal canal, leading to altered biomechanical behavior and potential spinal cord compression. Understanding the mechanical environment within the stenotic cervical spine is essential for predicting disease progression and optimizing surgical interventions. Finite element analysis (FEA) has emerged as a powerful computational tool for investigating these biomechanical responses. This review synthesizes recent FEA studies that model stenotic conditions, with particular emphasis on how structural abnormalities like disc protrusion and osteophyte formation influence spinal cord biomechanics. The included studies highlight the importance of dynamic loading, demonstrating that physiological motion can markedly amplify cord compression and strain compared with static configurations. Additional work has applied FEA to evaluate surgical interventions, revealing how decompression extent, approach, and postoperative alignment influence neural stress relief and adjacent segment mechanics. In summary, the findings underscore the utility of FEA in clarifying the mechanical pathways of cord injury and guiding surgical decision-making. Continued integration of patient-specific geometry, realistic soft-tissue behavior, and rigorous validation is essential for advancing the clinical translation of cervical stenosis modeling.

کلیدواژه ها:

Finite element analysis/modeling ، Cervical spinal stenosis ، Degeneration ، Spinal cord