Adherence and growth of bacteria on bone cement in vitro and in chronologically infected artificial joints

Low grade infections following total hip replacements manifest themselves late after surgery. These infections seem to be sterile; there are major problems in identifying the causative organism by cultivation. SEM investigation of small samples of the bone cement, the task of which is to anchor the prosthesis in the bone, is a suitable method for identifying the bacterial origin of these infections. During conventional histological preparation polymethacrylates are dissolved. Freeze-drying techniques, however, allow the preparation of bone cement samples for the SEM. The growth of staphylococci on cement particles shows that these resins can no longer be considered biologically inert. The surface is attacked by the bacteria.