Location

Philadelphia Campus

Start Date

1-5-2013 2:00 PM

End Date

1-5-2013 4:00 PM

Description

Introduction: Acrylic based bone cements are a versatile treatment modality in Orthopaedic surgery due to their wide variety of uses and tolerance to high degree of customization. Bone cement can be used to repair and stabilize pathologic fractures and may potentially prevent recurrence post tumor resection. Chemotherapeutic bone cements are favorable because they can potentially minimize systemic side effects and the need for radiation. Cements can be combined with soluble fillers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) to optimize drug elution. Even though studies have measured the mechanical properties of bone cement in dry state, the exact change in the mechanical properties of bone cement after drug/soluble filler elution is largely unknown. This study investigates the change in mechanical properties of commercially available bone cements modified with PEG fillers after one year of storage in drug elution medium.

Methods: Confidence Ultra, Vertebroplastic, and Palacos cement were used and mixed with varying amounts (0–50%) of PEG and chemotherapy agents (methotrexate or doxorubicin). Bone cement specimens were stored in a saline solution for one year after which they were tested in compression at 1 mm/min until failure.

Results: The modulus and compression strength of bone cements decreased with increase in soluble filler composition. Although soluble fillers were shown to weaken the mechanical properties of the bone cement, Palacos and Vertebroplastic cements retained their mechanical properties better than Confidence.

Discussion: When using chemotherapeutic bone cements, combining soluble fillers enhances drug elution at the expense of mechanical properties. However, the results showed that mechanical properties of different commercially available bone cements behave differently with similar percentages of soluble filler and drug added making it difficult to predict changes in mechanical properties of bone cement intraoperatively. This elucidates the need for well characterized bone cement optimized for chemotherapy drug delivery.

Included in

Life Sciences Commons

COinS
 
May 1st, 2:00 PM May 1st, 4:00 PM

Changes in biomechanical properties of chemotherapy bone cement after a year in saline storage

Philadelphia Campus

Introduction: Acrylic based bone cements are a versatile treatment modality in Orthopaedic surgery due to their wide variety of uses and tolerance to high degree of customization. Bone cement can be used to repair and stabilize pathologic fractures and may potentially prevent recurrence post tumor resection. Chemotherapeutic bone cements are favorable because they can potentially minimize systemic side effects and the need for radiation. Cements can be combined with soluble fillers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) to optimize drug elution. Even though studies have measured the mechanical properties of bone cement in dry state, the exact change in the mechanical properties of bone cement after drug/soluble filler elution is largely unknown. This study investigates the change in mechanical properties of commercially available bone cements modified with PEG fillers after one year of storage in drug elution medium.

Methods: Confidence Ultra, Vertebroplastic, and Palacos cement were used and mixed with varying amounts (0–50%) of PEG and chemotherapy agents (methotrexate or doxorubicin). Bone cement specimens were stored in a saline solution for one year after which they were tested in compression at 1 mm/min until failure.

Results: The modulus and compression strength of bone cements decreased with increase in soluble filler composition. Although soluble fillers were shown to weaken the mechanical properties of the bone cement, Palacos and Vertebroplastic cements retained their mechanical properties better than Confidence.

Discussion: When using chemotherapeutic bone cements, combining soluble fillers enhances drug elution at the expense of mechanical properties. However, the results showed that mechanical properties of different commercially available bone cements behave differently with similar percentages of soluble filler and drug added making it difficult to predict changes in mechanical properties of bone cement intraoperatively. This elucidates the need for well characterized bone cement optimized for chemotherapy drug delivery.