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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Bioelectric Analyses of an Osseointegrated Intelligent Implant Design System for Amputees
Published on: July 15, 2009
Electromagnetic stimulation on the bone growth using backscattered electron imaging
V Ottani1, M Raspanti, D Martini
1Istituto di Anatomia Umana Normale, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy. ottani@biocfarm.unibo.it
Abstract:
The events at the hydroxyapatite implant material/tissue interface following electromagnetic stimulation were studied in the rabbit. Two kinds of hydroxyapatite were used: natural (NA) and synthetic (HA) both with a grain size of <50 microm. Bone defects, artificially created in rabbit tibiae, were filled with the material examined. One group of animals was exposed immediately after surgery and every 12h thereafter to 30-min treatments with electromagnetic fields (PEMFs). A second group was used as a control (untreated). Two and 4 weeks after implantation, animals were sacrificed and bone samples processed for LM, TEM and SEM using a backscatter electron detector for the evaluation of bone growth. This study indicates that HA has more osteoconductivity than NA, and shows that PEMF-treatment results in a benefit in accelerating bone formation at early time periods.

