BOP: biocompatible osteoconductive polymer: an experimental approach.

BOP (biocompatible osteoconductive polymer) is a material proposed for osteosyntheses and for filling of bone defects in orthopaedics, neurosurgery and stomatology. It is a composite made of a copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and methylmethacrylate, of polyamide-6 fibers and of calcium gluconate. The histological investigation includes the study of 30 intact rabbit femurs instrumented with a BOP rod, as well as the study of organs of the reticuloendothelial system. The currently available results show the absence of toxicity on hematopoietic tissue. Zones of osteoblastic activity surround the rods, coupled with an osteoclastic reaction which may result in the partial fragmentation of the polyamide fibers and its incorporation in the newly formed bone. We also observed the encapsulation of the material. The biomechanical approach investigated the mechanical properties of the material in bending and in shear. The radiological aspects of the investigation consisted of computerized axial tomography of the implanted femurs to measure density at the bone-implant interface.

Morphometric and physical investigations of segmental cortical bone autografts and allografts in canine ulnar defects.

Cortical bone grafts were implanted for six months in mature dogs using an osteoperiosteal 3-cm defect in the ulna to evaluate their respective morphometric and physical values compared with autografts. The bone-grafting material included fresh auto- and allografts, frozen and thimerosal preserved allografts, and partially demineralized bone allografts. The grafts were evaluated by roentgenograms, microradiograms, photon absorptiometry, porosity, fluorescence labeling measurements, and torsional loading at failure. Autografts achieved a better union score than the allografts, but intracortical bone porosity, percentage of cumulative new bone, and mineral apposition rate were not variables with statistical significance. Lamellar bone was found earlier and in greater quantity in autografts. Within the graft, new bone was deposited at a slower rate than in the recipient bone. Autografts showed less peripheral resorption and a greater torsional resistance than allografts. Photon absorptiometry demonstrated that nondemineralized allografts underwent a substantial loss of peripheral bone. This marked reduction in the outer diameter of the graft had more influence on torsional resistance than did the intracortical porosity of the graft. Demineralized allografts were osteoinductive in only 28% of the cases and appeared to respond in an all-or-nothing pattern. Frozen and thimerosal preserved allografts were the most acceptable substitutes to autografts.

Canine cortical bone autograft remodeling in two simultaneous skeletal sites.

The morphological and physical aspects of cortical bone autografts implanted in dogs for 1-9 months in two differently located skeletal defects are reported with a twofold aim: to provide a reference system for further comparison with various allografts and to delineate a general pattern of cortical bone graft healing. A 3-cm osteoperiosteal gap was created in the diaphyseal segment of the ulna and fibula of mature dogs. The grafts, freed from periosteum and bone marrow, were then inverted and replaced for the autografts in the left limb bone without internal fixation or external splints. On the right side, different allografts were tested. A group of three animals also had an unfilled segmental resection on the right as control. Dogs were observed for 1, 2, 3, 6, and 9 months and were able to bear weight within 3 days. Twenty-eight ulnae and 27 fibulae were available for this autograft study. Fluorochromes were injected at mid-term and at the end of the observation. All the grafts were assessed morphologically by cross-section microradiographs and ultraviolet light microscopy, and a morphometric analysis for porosity and fluorescence was done. To evaluate the physical aspects of graft healing, the recovered ulnar autografts, when available, were submitted to photon absorptiometry and to torsional loading. Morphologically, resorption was found to invade the cortical bone graft transversely through radial tunnels, and in addition to the host-bone-graft junction, the entire transplant surface provided another way for revascularization. The highest porosity level was achieved 2 months after surgery for both ulna and fibula, while new bone formation, as assessed by fluorochromes, was most important at 3 months. At 9 months, porosity remained above the normal range as determined in a set of five nongrafted dogs. While the lack of correlation for porosity between the two grafts suggests that local factors are more important in graft resorption, the observed correlation for fluorescence indicates that new bone deposition is more dependent upon skeletal metabolic activity. Within each graft, porosity and new bone formation were not well correlated. In the ulna, the bone mineral content (BMC) reflected the graft volumetric variations during the remodeling, with the lowest mean value at 3 months. For each graft, BMC was well correlated with the torsional stiffness. When torsionally loaded, the maximal tangential shear stress at failure of the graft was negatively related to its cortical porosity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)