Research

When the spinal unit was set up at St James's Hospital in Leeds more than 20 years ago, it was decided that the clinical treatment of children needed to be underpinned by an active research programme into the causes and treatment of spinal problems.

The Yorkshire Children's Spine Foundation (YCSF) was set up to support this programme and with the marked reduction in central funding for both health care and research over the past few years, this support has been vital.

The spinal unit has recently moved from St James's Hospital to the Clarendon Wing at Leeds General Infirmary but the work of the Charity is now more important than ever.

Professor Richard Hall of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Leeds is internationally recognised as a forerunner in the field of Biomechanics and works in close cooperation with Professor Robert Dickson, Head of the Spinal Unit. They are making huge strides in the treatment of scoliosis, osteoporosis and spinal fractures to name but a few.

Osteoporosis is a public health issue that is becoming an increasing problem in an ageing population. A hallmark of osteoporosis is a vertebral compression fracture, when a single vertebra collapses due to poor bone structure. Patients with this problem are currently treated with bed rest and analgesics but in the elderly this can lead to other medical problems. A procedure called vertebroplasty, which involves injecting a cement into the collapsed vertebra, has been used successfully in the USA and in certain centres in the UK, including Leeds. Vertebroplasty stabilises the fracture and relieves pain, restoring structural integrity.

One project currently in progress is looking at preventative vertebroplasty, i.e. injecting the cement before the fracture has occurred. The results of this research will pin point those who will have a fracture in the near future and who will, therefore, benefit most from vertebroplasty. This research is also investigating different types of cement to find the optimum for injecting into vertebrae.

Another project in progress is looking to use vertebroplasty alongside surgery in patients who have sustained burst fractures of the vertebrae. These tend to occur in younger patients who have sustained high impact injury to the spinal column as the result of a fall or a road traffic accident. Current treatments involve specialist spinal surgery with a combined front and back approach. This is major surgery with inherent risks. A novel concept is to use the vertebroplasty technique, reducing operating time and surgical risks. This project uses donated human spines in assessing the biomechanical effectiveness of this treatment.

All the projects are being investigated by a team of researchers with both biomechanical and clinical expertise: This team includes Mr Navin Furtado (Clinical Research Fellow) who is being partially funded by YCSF and Professor Richard Hall from Mechanical Enginneering.