Analyses of undesirable clinical outcomes and supportive biomechanical data for a device are essential for the evolution of disruptive device technology in spine

Assumptions, inevitable part of engineering solution, lead to the disparities between positive biomechanical data and undesirable long- and short-term clinical outcomes for a given surgical procedure or device. Consequently, high-quality biomechanical data may not necessarily lead to desirable clinical outcomes. This review article discusses such issues for devices that provide ‘“stability/enhanced environment for fusion or restore motion”’ for the spinal segment (s) with goal of improving patient satisfaction.