Ferguson Stephen J, Weber Urs, von Rechenberg Brigitte, Mayer Joerg
MEM Research Center, Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2006 Apr;77(1):13-20. doi: 10.1002/jbm.b.30427.
The BoneWelding technology is an innovative bonding method, which offers new alternatives in the treatment of fractures and other degenerative disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The BoneWelding process employs ultrasonic energy to liquefy a polymeric interface between orthopaedic implants and the host bone. Polymer penetrates the pores of the surrounding bone and, following a rapid solidification, forms a strong and uniform bond between implant and bone. Biomechanical testing was performed to determine the quasi-static push-out strength and fatigue performance of 3.5-mm-diameter polymeric dowels bonded to a bone surrogate material (Sawbones solid and cellular polyurethane foam) using the BoneWelding process. Fatigue tests were conducted over 100,000 cycles of 20-100 N loading. Mechanical test results were compared with those obtained with a comparably-sized, commercial metallic fracture fixation screw. Tests in surrogate bone material of varying density demonstrated significantly superior mechanical performance of the bonded dowels in comparison to conventional bone screws (p < 0.01), with holding strengths approaching 700 N. Even in extremely porous host material, the performance of the bonded dowels was equivalent to that of the bone screws. For both cellular and solid bone analog materials, failure always occurred within the bone analog material surrounding and distant to the implant; the infiltrated interface was stronger than the surrounding bone analog material. No significant decrease in interfacial strength was observed following conditioning in a physiological saline solution for a period of 1 month prior to testing. Ultrasonically inserted implants migrated, on average, less than 20 microm over, and interfacial stiffness remained constant the full duration of fatigue testing. With further refinement, the BoneWelding technology may offer a quicker, simpler, and more effective method for achieving strong fixation and primary stability for fracture fixation or other orthopaedic and dental implant applications.
骨焊接技术是一种创新的粘结方法，为肌肉骨骼系统骨折及其他退行性疾病的治疗提供了新的选择。骨焊接过程利用超声能量使骨科植入物与宿主骨之间的聚合物界面液化。聚合物渗入周围骨的孔隙，快速固化后，在植入物与骨之间形成牢固且均匀的粘结。进行了生物力学测试，以确定使用骨焊接工艺粘结到骨替代材料（Sawbones实体和多孔聚氨酯泡沫）上的直径3.5毫米聚合物销钉的准静态推出强度和疲劳性能。疲劳测试在20 - 100 N载荷下进行了超过100,000次循环。将力学测试结果与使用尺寸相当的商用金属骨折固定螺钉获得的结果进行比较。在不同密度替代骨材料中的测试表明，与传统骨螺钉相比，粘结销钉的力学性能显著更优（p < 0.01），其固定强度接近700 N。即使在极多孔的宿主材料中，粘结销钉的性能也与骨螺钉相当。对于多孔和实体骨模拟材料，失效总是发生在植入物周围及远处的骨模拟材料内；渗透界面比周围的骨模拟材料更强。在测试前于生理盐水中放置1个月进行预处理后，未观察到界面强度有显著下降。超声插入的植入物平均迁移小于20微米，并且在疲劳测试的整个过程中界面刚度保持恒定。随着进一步改进，骨焊接技术可能为骨折固定或其他骨科及牙科植入应用实现牢固固定和初始稳定性提供一种更快、更简单且更有效的方法。
