John E. Feighan

The influence of surface-blasting on the incorporation of titanium-alloy implants in a rabbit intramedullary model.

The apposition of new bone to polished solid implants and to implants with surfaces that had been blasted with one of three methods of grit-blasting was studied in a rabbit intramedullary model to test the hypothesis that blasted implant surfaces support osseous integration. Intramedullary titanium-alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) plugs, press-fit into the distal aspect of the femoral canal, were implanted bilaterally in fifty-six rabbits. Four surface treatments were studied: polished (a surface roughness of 0.4 to 0.6 micrometer) and blasted with stainless-steel shot (a surface roughness of five to seven micrometers), with thirty-six-grit aluminum oxide (a surface roughness of five to seven micrometers), or with sixty-grit aluminum oxide (a surface roughness of three to five micrometers). Localized attachment of new bone to the surfaces of the blasted implants was present radiographically at twelve weeks. The total bone area was significantly affected by the level of the section (the diaphysis had a greater bone area than the proximal part of the metaphysis and the proximal part of the metaphysis had a greater bone area than the distal part of the metaphysis; p < 0.001) and the quadrant within each section (the posterior and anterior quadrants had greater bone area than the medial and lateral quadrants; p < 0.00001). The length of the bone-implant interface was significantly affected by the surface treatment (the length of the bone-implant interface for the implants that had been blasted with sixty-grit aluminum oxide was greater than the length for the polished implants; p = 0.02), the time after implantation (the interface was longer at six and twelve weeks than at three weeks; p < 0.00001), and the level of the section (the interface was longer at the diaphysis than at the proximal part of the metaphysis and longer at the proximal part of the metaphysis than at the distal part of the metaphysis; p = 0.004). Blasting of the surface of titanium-alloy implants did not have an effect on the area of bone formation around the implants, but it did significantly affect the area of bone formation on the implant and the shear strength at the bone-implant interface. The two effects were not necessarily parallel, as significantly less (p < 0.05) bone formed on implants that had been blasted with stainless-steel shot than on those blasted with aluminum grit, whereas their interface shear strengths were similar.

Biology of grit-blasted titanium alloy implants.

This study describes the biologic integration of grit-blasted titanium alloy (Ti-6A1-4V) implants that were press fit into the distal femoral canal of young adult rabbits and evaluated by histologic, histomorphometric, and biomechanical methods. Polished and aluminum oxide grit-blasted (4.2 +/- 0.7 microns surface roughness) solid implants were compared with titanium fibermetal implants. Nondecalcified cross sections were studied by histology, histomorphometry, and electron microscopy in the backscatter mode at 3, 6, and 12 weeks after implantation. Pullout strength was measured at 12 weeks. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and post-hoc Student-Newman-Keuls and Scheffes tests. The blasted implants had significantly more bone intimately in contact with the implant surface (31%) than the fibermetal (17%), or solid polished implants (15%). By 3 weeks, woven bone had formed directly on the surface of the blasted implants, whereas there was a discrete space between woven bone and the other implants. Active remodeling of bone was shown by fluorochrome uptake at the surface of the blasted implants at 12 weeks after implantation. The strength of fixation of blasted and fiber-metal implants was significantly greater than polished implants at 12 weeks after implantation. Direct attachment of newly formed bone onto the blasted implant surface was confirmed by backscatter electron microscopy. The results of this study indicate that grit-blasted titanium surfaces provide an excellent surface for bone implant integration.

Growth and Development of the Pediatric Cervical Spine Documented Radiographically

Background: The radiographic anatomy of the cervical spine in children is complex and can be difficult to interpret. The present study was undertaken to document radiographically the growth and development of the cervical spine in a prospective, longitudinal manner and to establish standard radiographic measurements on the basis of findings in patients who were followed serially from the age of three months until skeletal maturity. Methods: The radiographic resources of the Cleveland Study of Normal Growth and Development (Bolton-Brush Collection, Cleveland, Ohio) were reviewed. From this large database, we identified fifty boys and forty-six girls who had a sufficient number of radiographs of the cervical spine for inclusion in our study. With use of a computerized image analyzer, the growth and development of the atlantodens interval, the diameter of the spinal canal, the Torg ratio, the height and width of the second through fifth cervical vertebral bodies, the height of the dens, and the ossification of the first cervical vertebra were assessed on serial radiographs made from the age of three months until skeletal maturity. Results: Serial measurements of the atlantodens interval, the anteroposterior diameter of the cervical canal, the height and anteroposterior width of the cervical vertebral bodies, and the height of the dens, made in normal, healthy children from the age of three months to fifteen years, are presented in tabular and graphic forms. The median Torg ratio was 1.47 for both males and females primarily, and it reached values of 1.06 for males and 1.10 for females by maturity. The anterior arch of the first cervical vertebra had ossified in 33% of the children by the age of three months and in 81% of the children by the age of one year. Closure of the synchondroses was completed in all children by the age of three years. Conclusions: The measurements presented in the current study are important because they are the first, as far as we know, to document the radiographic parameters of the cervical spine in children who were followed longitudinally from before the age of three years through the course of growth and development until skeletal maturity.

The effects of processing and low dose irradiation on cortical bone grafts.

The authors studied the effects of standard processing and preprocessing low dose gamma irradiation (1.5 Mrad) on the strength and incorporation of syngeneic and allogeneic cortical bone grafts. Bilateral femoral middiaphyseal 8-mm segmental defects in 120 male Fisher rats were stabilized with internal fixation. Each defect received one of six types of grafts: fresh syngeneic, processed syngeneic, irradiated processed syngeneic, fresh allogeneic, processed allogeneic, and irradiated processed allogeneic grafts. Graft processing included soaking in 70% ethanol and deep freezing for preservation. Irradiation was performed by 60Co source immediately before processing. Grafts were evaluated by histologic analysis, histomorphometric analysis, and biomechanical testing at 4 and 6 months after surgery. Graft treatment, either processing or irradiation processing, did not affect consistently or significantly the incorporation of syngeneic or allogeneic grafts. Graft allogenicity was the major determinant of the revascularization and the histologic pattern of graft incorporation. Processed and irradiated processed allogeneic grafts gained compressive strength with time and were as strong as syngeneic grafts at 6 months. Biomechanical and histologic data from this study suggest that standard processing and preprocessing low dose irradiation do not compromise the natural course of allogeneic cortical bone graft incorporation.

Biologic and biomechanic evaluation of posterior lumbar fusion in the rabbit : the effect of fixation rigidity

Study Design The histologic and biomechanic characteristics of posterior lumbar fusion with varying rigidity of a novel internal fixation construct in the rabbit were analyzed. Objectives To evaluate this rabbit model for future studies of fusion augmentation. Summary of Background Data Previous studies in goats and dogs showed internal fixation enhances spinal arthrodesis. Methods Twenty eight New Zealand white rabbits underwent a posterior midline fusion from L4 to L6. Some animals received autogenous iliac crest bone graft, stabilized by wiring the superior facets bilaterally, and supplementation with polymethylmethacrylate. The experimental groups were iliac crest bone graft with either no fixation, wire fixation, or wire and polymethylmethacrylate fixation, and no graft and either no fixation, wire fixation, or wire and polymethylmethacrylate fixation. Animals were killed 2 months after surgery, and the specimens were nondestructively tested biomechanically for stiffness in six modes (flexion, extension, left and right bending, compression, and torsion) and histologically for evidence of fusion, revascularization, and new bone formation. Results Fusions with either wire or wire and polymethylmethacrylate fixation were significantly stiffer than those without fixation (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between the iliac crest bone graft and wire group and the iliac crest bone graft, wire, and polymethylmethacrylate group in the modes tested. Nine of 14 motion segments receiving the stiffest construct (iliac crest bone graft, wire, and polymethylmethacrylate) had evidence of solid bony fusion. None of the 12 motion segments receiving iliac crest bone graft and wire had evidence of bony fusion, but five had a flbrocartllage union with some ossification present. Eight of 12 motion segments receiving iliac crest bone graft and no fixation had predominantly fibrous unions with some fibrocartilage, and only one motion segment of 12 showed bony fusion. Conclusions This study suggests that more rigid fixation produces more successful union in rabbit posterior spinal fusion. This model may be useful in evaluating the ability of various biomaterials to augment spinal arthrodesis.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging in posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.

The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the patient with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is discussed. Considerations for the proper positioning of the patient and optimal technique to obtain appropriate images of the posterior tibial tendon and associated joint abnormalities are highlighted. Cases are presented to show the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging in different clinical situations. The treatment algorithm for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction should include magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic tool when appropriate.

Cortical metastatic lesions of the appendicular skeleton from tumors of known primary origin.

Background and Objectives: Metastatic disease represents the most common neoplastic process involving bone. Recently, a small subset of cortical based metastatic lesions has been identified. We attempted to delineate the incidence, origin, location, and possible significance of these lesions within an orthopaedic patient population.