[Tissue compatibility of bone cement with and without barium sulfate (author's transl)].

Cylindrical plugs of polymerized Simplex-P bone cement with and without barium sulfate were implanted in the rabbit tibial metaphysis. Titanium was used as control material. The animals were observed for 4--4.5 months. Histological analysis showed that all titanium implants were healed into the bone with a direct bone-implant contact, which was also true for about 60% of the cement implants. The remaining cement implants were encapsulated by connective tissue, probably due to biomechanical factors. It was not possible in this study to show a difference in the tissue reaction to bone cement containing barium sulfate and bone cement free from barium sulfate.