Reaction of bone to the acute chemical trauma of bone cement.

The acute chemical trauma of bone cement was investigated in the rabbit tibia. With the experimental model used, the surgical trauma and the thermal effects of the cement could be minimized. Each animal received one implant of polymerized cement as a control and one implant of polymerizing dough as the test material. The animals were observed for up to seventy days and the specimens were then studied by various techniques of histology, microangiography, fluorochrome labeling, and microradiography. With this experimental method the monomer trauma did not add to the minimized surgical trauma. Moreover, no detectable influence on bone regeneration was noted. In view of this minor effect, we suggest that the surgical preparation of the implant bed and the very procedure of inserting bone cement are more important for the acute tissue trauma than is monomer leakage alone.