title: Repair of calvarial defects in rats by prefabricated, degradable, long fibre composite implants.
abstract: We report results from an initial small animal study designed to provide information on the biocompatibility of a novel biodegradable composite designed for craniomaxillofacial reconstruction. Rat calvarium was chosen as a clinically analogous model, which allowed comparison between experimental groups (PCL alone, PCL/phosphate glass, or PCL/bioglass implants) and control groups (empty defects or bone grafted defects). All animals recovered well from surgery and no clinical complications were observed. Histological assessment indicated a lack of inflammatory response. The amount of new bone formation at the dural aspect of the implant was statistically significantly higher in the PCL/phosphate glass group than the other experimental groups. This study confirms, in a clinically analogous model, the promise of the novel PCL/phosphate glass composite material. Work is planned toward manufacturing scale up and clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Division of Materials, Mechanics and Structures, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom. colin.scotchford@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Scotchford
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shahtaheri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shataheri
authors.forename: P-S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Aitchison
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Efeoglu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vikram
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Rudd
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D020007:Implants, Experimental; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012886:Skull / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; C022107:Bioglass; D018786:Bone Substitutes