Effects of polymerization heat and monomers from acrylic cement on canine bone

We investigated the effects of polymerization heat and toxicity of polymethylmetacrylate bone cement in the canine tibial diaphysis. Heat was studied by filling the tibias with either bone cement or bone wax contained in a monomer tight membrane pouch. Toxicity was studied by filling both tibias with cement, with the control side contained in the membrane pouch. Bone blood perfusion was measured by microsphere technic, and bone remodeling by 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate uptake and by histologic technique. In bone exposed to the combination of polymerization heat and monomer, both perfusion and remodeling were impaired. We did not find any effects of polymerization heat alone. We conclude that hot toxic chemicals from bone cement during polymerization may inhibit bone blood perfusion and remodeling, whereas heat alone seems to be of minor importance for the regenerative processes in cemented diaphyseal bone.