Hyperbaric oxygen therapy mitigates the adverse effect of cigarette smoking on the bone healing of tibial lengthening: an experimental study on rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether -intermittent hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy can mitigate the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on the bone healing of tibial lengthening by using a previously validated rabbit model.


METHODS
Eighteen male rabbits were randomly divided into three groups of six animals each. Group 1 (smoking plus HBO) went through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, group 2 (control) did not go through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation or hyperbaric oxygen therapy and group 3 (smoking) went through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation. Each animal's right tibia was lengthened 5 mm by using an uniplanar lengthening device. Bone mineral density (BMD) study was performed for all the animals at 1 day before operation and 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after operation. All of the animals were killed at 6 weeks postoperatively for biomechanical testing.


RESULTS
By using the preoperative BMD as an internal control, we found that the BMD of group 1 (smoking plus HBO)and group 2 (control) was superior to that of group 3 (smoking). The mean %BMD at 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks were 58.6%, 66.6%, 73.7%, and 83.8%, respectively, in group 1, whereas the mean %BMD were 52.0%, 64.3%, 70.1%, and 76.2%, respectively, in group 2, and the mean %BMD were 46.2%, 54.0%, 64.9%, and 69.4%, respectively, in group 3 (two-tailed t test, p > 0.05, p > 0.05, p > 0.05, and p < 0.05 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week respectively between group 1 and group 2, p < 0.01,p < 0.01,p < 0.01, and p < 0.01 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week, respectively, between group 1 and group 3 and p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week respectively between group 2 and group 3). By using the contralateral nonoperated tibia as an internal control, we found that the torsional strength of group 1 (smoking plus HBO) and group 2 (control) was superior to that of group 3 (smoking). The mean percentage of maximum torque was 80.9% in group 1 (smoking plus HBO) and was 78.0% in group 2 (control), whereas the mean percentage of maximum torque was 59.6 % in group 3 (smoking) (two-tailed t test, p < 0.05 between groups land 3 and between groups 2 and 3, whereas p > 0.05 between groups 1 and 2).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that smoke inhalation delays the bone healing in tibial lengthening; however, HBO mitigates the delayed healing effect of smoke inhalation and, thus, helps the smoking animal in achieving an expeditious bone healing in tibial lengthening.
Ueng
S W
SW
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Lee
S S
SS
Lin
S S
SS
Wang
C R
CR
Liu
S J
SJ
Tai
C L
CL
Shih
C H
CH
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density; D001852:Bone Lengthening / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011897:Random Allocation; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D019415:Torque