Fracture of porous polyethylene-bone composite

Porous high-density polyethylene specimens were implanted in the femurs of mongrel canines. At the end of the residency period (3 or 6 months), the animals were sacrificed and the implants were retrieved. The work-of-fracture of the implant specimens was then determined using the technique of Tattersall and Tappin. The work required to fracture a specimen in three-point bending by controlled crack propagation through a triangular cross section was obtained directly from the load-deflection curve. The area of the resulting fracture surface was measured by macrophotographic techniques, and the work-of-fracture was calculated as work per unit area. The implants were subsequently sectioned and examined microradiographically to determine the extent of bone ingrowth. Bone specimens adjacent to the implants and porous high-density polyethylene controls (no ingrowth) were also tested to determine their work-of-fracture. The results showed that bone adjacent to the implant specimens had a higher work-of-fracture than normal medial, canine femoral bone and was not appreciably different from the composite. The work-of-fracture of porous high-density polyethylene was not significantly increased by an increase in bone infiltration, and this anomalous behavior was attributed to a degradation of the polyethylene during implant residence. Control studies supported this hypothesis.