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Cranioplasty Using a Novel Osteoconductive Scaffold and Platelet Gel
Ching-Li Tseng1, Guang-Wei Chang, Kuang-Ling Ou
1From the *Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University; †Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology; and ‡Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei; §Department of Dermatology,Cardinal Tien Hospital, New Taipei; ∥Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan. Taoyuan; ¶Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli; and #Department of Material Engineering, Tatung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background:
Commonly used materials for cranioplasty include autogenous bone grafts, methyl methacrylate, and titanium mesh. We evaluated a novel osteoconductive scaffold [N-isopropylacrylamide cross-linked with acrylic acid using γ-rays (ANa powder)] mixed with platelet gel for cranioplasty.
Methods:
ANa powder mixed with platelet gel was implanted into a 15 × 15-mm, full-thickness calvarial bone defect in 5 New Zealand white rabbits. ANa powder mixed with phosphate-buffered saline was implanted in 5 rabbits. The calvarial bone defect was left unreconstructed in another 5 rabbits. Twelve weeks after surgery, computed tomography examination was used to evaluate the radiographic evidence of bone healing in vivo. Bone specimens were then retrieved for histologic study.
Results:
The ANa scaffold mixed with platelet gel is biocompatible, biodegradable, and both osteoconductive and osteoinductive, leading to progressive growth of new bone into the calvarial bone defect.
Conclusion:
The use of this novel osteoconductive scaffold combined with osteoinductive platelet gel offers a valuable alternative for the reconstruction of calvarial bone defects.
