Can UVA-light-activated riboflavin-induced collagen crosslinking be transferred from ophthalmology to spine surgery? A feasibility study on bovine intervertebral disc.

This is the first study on UVA-CXL treatment of IVD. It induced significantly increased delamination strength and instantaneous modulus indentation values in intact IVD samples in a structure-function relationship. RF concentrations and UVA intensities utilized in ophthalmological clinical protocols were well tolerated by the AF cells. Our findings suggest that UVA-CXL may be a promising tool to reinforce the IVD matrix.