An Experimental Study of the Effect of Bone Cement upon the Epiphyseal Plate of Growing Rabbits / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

Acrylic bone cement is now widely used in surgery for many purposes. Therefore, the effect of bone cement on the growth plate of a growing bone may be an interesting subject, particularly in the orthopedic field. The authors carried out an experiment to study the effect of bone cement on the growth plate of the bone, using 32 growing rabbits weighing from 800 to 1000 gm, which were divided into 2 main groups. In Group I, which was the control group, the growth plates were injured mechanically by inserting a Kirschner wire and a stainless screw, 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm in diameter, respectively, which were then removed. In Group II, the growth plates were also injured by the same method as in Group I, and bone cement was inserted into the holes made by the insertion of the Kirschner wire and the screw. Then the histological findings of the injured plates were studied at 2, 4, 6 and 10 weeks after injury. Following observations were made. 1. In Group I, in which the growth plates were only mechanically damaged, the histologic changes were localized only in that portion of the plate which had been injured by a wire or a screw, leaving the rest of the plate relatively normal. In Group II, the extent and severity of the injury were more wide and severe. 2. Proliferation of mesenchymal fibroblasts and deformity of the growth plate were more severe in Group II. 3. In both groups the extent and severity of growth plate injury were more marked when injured by a screw.