Biodegradable Bone Cement with Open-Pore Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Acrylic-based bone cements are not biodegradable and lack sufficient initial stability, leading to inadequate anchoring of dynamic implants and increased fracture risk, especially in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty applications, due to their brittleness and inability to promote bone growth.
Innovation Solution
A method of mixing a polymerizable hydrophobic component with a hydrophilic, highly viscous paste containing biodegradable particles, creating open-pore regions within the cement that allow natural bone tissue to grow and reduce the E-modulus, thereby enhancing biodegradability and strength adaptation to natural bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If acrylic-based bone cement is used to provide high rigidity and initial stability, then implant anchoring is improved, but the material becomes non-biodegradable and increases fracture risk in adjacent bone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the bone cement by incorporating biodegradable particles (calcium sulfate, calcium phosphate, or collagen) into the acrylic-based cement matrix. This modification allows the cement to gradually degrade over time, reducing its E-modulus from typical acrylic values (2-4 GPa) to match adjacent bone strength, thereby eliminating the stress shielding effect and fracture risk while maintaining sufficient initial rigidity for implant anchoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite bone cement material by combining acrylic-based cement with biodegradable particles. The composite structure allows the non-biodegradable acrylic matrix to provide initial structural integrity and implant anchoring, while the biodegradable particles gradually degrade to reduce overall cement rigidity and promote bone ingrowth, thus resolving the contradiction between initial strength and long-term fracture risk.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If calcium phosphate or calcium sulfate is used to create biodegradable bone cement, then biodegradability is improved, but initial stability is insufficient for dynamic load-bearing implants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines biodegradable calcium phosphate or calcium sulfate with non-biodegradable acrylic-based cement to create a composite material. The acrylic matrix provides the necessary initial mechanical strength and rigidity for dynamic load-bearing applications, while the biodegradable calcium phosphate or sulfate particles provide controlled degradation over time, allowing bone ingrowth and long-term integration without compromising initial stability.
3Reliability
If calcium compounds are added to acrylic-based bone cement to promote bone growth, then tissue growth is improved, but the E-modulus increases and fracture risk is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls the concentration, particle size, and distribution of calcium compounds within the acrylic-based cement matrix. By optimizing these parameters, the cement maintains sufficient bone growth-promoting properties while limiting the increase in E-modulus. The biodegradable nature of the calcium compounds ensures that any initial rigidity increase is temporary, allowing gradual degradation to match bone strength and reduce fracture risk long-term.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting bone cement allows natural bone tissue to grow through it, reducing the risk of fractures by providing a more flexible and biodegradable matrix that is better adapted to the strength of natural bone, while maintaining sufficient rigidity for implant anchoring.
Implementation Method 1
the paste comprises a biodegradable material, so that the paste forms open-pore regions within the hydrophobic component, and wherein the biodegradable material is within the open-pore regions
Implementation Method 2
mixing a polymerizable hydrophobic component with a hydrophilic, highly viscous, and dimension stable paste to form a mixture, wherein the paste forms open-pore regions within the hydrophobic component
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a bone cement composed of a hydrophilic component and a hydrophobic component, wherein biodegradable material is deposited in pores of the bone cement via the hydrophilic component.