Methylmethacrylate bone cement does not release histamine in patients undergoing prosthetic replacement of the...

This study was designed to see if methylmethacrylate monomer bone cement released histamine in 13 patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery with a cemented prosthesis, compared with seven control patients receiving a cementless porous-coated prosthesis. Blood samples for plasma concentrations of histamine were obtained before the start of anaesthesia, immediately before insertion of methylmethacrylate bone cement into the shaft of the femur in the cemented fixation group or before insertion of the femoral component of the prosthesis in the cementless fixation group, and 15, 30 and 60 min after the start of implantation of the prosthesis. In both groups, changes in plasma histamine did not differ significantly from baseline before implantation of cement. There were no significant differences between groups. We conclude that methylmethacrylate bone cement does not release histamine during total hip replacement surgery.