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Updated: Dec 12, 2025
A Mouse Distraction Osteogenesis Model
Published on: November 14, 2018
Enhancing Distraction Osteogenesis With Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polyether Ether Ketone Bone Pins and a
Karen A Eley1, Mehran Moazen2, Gaspar Delso1
1Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge.
Objectives:
To: (1) design an artifact-free 3D-printed MR-safe temporary transfer device, (2) engineer bone-pins from carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (CFR-PEEK), (3) evaluate the imaging artifacts of CFR-PEEK, and (4) confirm the osteointegration potential of CFR-PEEK, thus enhancing 3D-planning of bony advancements in hemifacial microsomia using sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Study Design:
Engineered CRF-PEEK bone pins and a 3D printed ex-fix device were implanted into a sheep head and imaged with MRI and computed tomography . The osseointegration and bony compatibility potential of CFR-PEEK was assessed with scanning electron microscopy images of MC3T3 preosteoblast cells on the surface of the material.
Results:
The CFR-PEEK pins resulted in a signal void equivalent to the dimension of the pin, with no adjacent areas of MR-signal loss or computed tomography artifact. MCT3 cells adhered and proliferated on the surface of the discs by forming a monolayer of cells, confirming compatibility and osseointegration potential.
Conclusion:
A 3D printed transfer device could be utilized temporarily during MRI to permit artifact-free 3D planning. CFR-PEEK pins eliminate imaging artifact permitting sequential MRI examination. In combination, this has the potential to enhance distraction osteogenesis, by permitting accurate three-dimensional planning without ionizing radiation.
