Effect of bone mineral particles on the porosity of bone cement

Bone particle-impregnated bone cement is investigated in vitro, which could be used to improve fixation between bone and cement interface by ingrowth of tissues that may replace bone particles. Inorganic bone particles (150-300 microns diameter) were mixed with regular bone cement powder by 0, 10, 20, and 30% by weight and implanted into the pre-drilled intramedullary canal (11cm long, 10mm diameter) of canine femur. A 4mm diameter, 10mm long stainless steel rod was implanted to simulate the prosthesis. The specimens were cut into 2mm thick discs transversely along the long axis of the bone and ground to examine with a confocal laser microscope. Diametral tensile strength tests were performed for the 0, 10, 20, and 30% bone particle impregnated bone cement discs without the intramedullary implant. Present results show that mixing bone particles with bone cement decreased the number of pores and porosity but increased the size of pores. The analysis of porosity distribution showed no significant difference between bone cement and bone particle-impregnated bone cement. Also, the strength of the bone particle-impregnated bone cement decreased linearly with increased amount of bone particles in spite of the decreased percent porosity. Using a bone particle-impregnated bone cement along with a pre-coated implant could be one of the solutions to the problems in the fixation of total joint arthroplasty.