A porous swelling copolymeric material for improved implant fixation to bone

Fixation strength of swelling copolymeric anchors in artificial bone

Fixation with suture anchors and metallic hardware for osteosynthesis is common in orthopedic surgeries. Most metallic commercial bone anchors achieve their fixation to bone through shear of the bone located between the threads. They have several deficiencies, including stress-shielding due to mechanical properties mismatch, generation of acidic by-products, poor osteointegration, low mechanical strength and catastrophic failure often associated with large bone defects that may be difficult to repair. To overcome these deficiencies, a swelling porous copolymeric material, to be used as bone anchors with osteointegration potential, was introduced. The purpose of this study was to investigate the fixation strength of these porous, swelling copolymeric bone anchors in artificial bone of various densities. The pull-out and subsidence studies indicate an effective fixation mechanism based on friction including re-fixation capabilities, and minimization of damage following complete failure. The study suggests that this swelling porous structure may provide an effective alternative to conventional bone anchors, particularly in low-density bone.

Numerical analysis of the mechanical response of novel swelling bone implants in polyurethane foams

In this study, a numerical framework was developed in order to analyze the swelling properties, mechanical response and fixation strength of swelling bone anchors. Using this framework, fully porous and solid implants, along with a novel hybrid design (consisting of a solid core and a porous sleeve), were modeled and studied. Free swelling experiments were conducted to investigate their swelling characteristics. The finite element model of swelling was validated using the conducted free swelling. Compared with the experimental data, results obtained from the finite element analysis proved the reliability of this frame-work. Afterwards, the swelling bone anchors were studied embedded in artificial bones with different densities with two different interface properties: considering frictional interface between the bone anchors and artificial bones (simulating the stages prior to osteointegration, when the bone and implant are not fully bonded and the surface of the implant can slide along the interface), and perfectly bonded (simulating the stages subsequent to osteointegration, when the bone and implant are fully bonded). It was observed that the swelling considerably decreases while the average radial stress on the lateral surface of the swelling bone anchor surges in the denser artificial bones. Ultimately, the pull-out experiments and simulations of the swelling bone anchors from the artificial bones were conducted to look into the fixation strength of the swelling bone anchors. It was found that the hybrid swelling bone anchor exhibits mechanical and swelling properties close to those of solid bone anchors, while also bone in-growth is expected to happen, which is an integral factor to these bone anchors.