title: Synthesis and characterization of a new vertebroplasty cement based on gold-containing PMMA microspheres.
abstract: There are a number of drawbacks to incorporating large concentrations of barium sulfate (BaSO4) as the radiopacifier in PMMA-based bone cements for percutaneous vertebroplasty. These include adverse effects on injectability, viscosity profile, setting time, mechanical properties of the cement and bone resorption. We have synthesized a novel cement that is designed to address some of these drawbacks. Its powder includes PMMA microspheres in which gold particles are embedded and its monomer is the same as that used in commercial cements for vertebroplasty. In comparison to one such commercial cement brand, VertaPlex™, the new cement has longer doughing time, longer injection time, higher compressive strength, higher compressive modulus, and is superior in terms of cytotoxicity. For augmentation of fractured fresh-frozen cadaveric vertebral bodies (T6-L5) using simulated vertebroplasty, results for compressive strength and compressive stiffness of the construct and the percentage of the volume of the vertebral body filled by the cement were comparable for the two cements although the radiopacity of the new cement was significantly lower than that for VertaPlex™. The present results indicate that the new cement warrants further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P. Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: e.jacobs@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ketie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saralidze
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P. Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alex K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine Research School NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joost J A
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine Research School NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, VieCuri Medical Centre, Venlo, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joop P W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van den Bergh
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Arno
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lataster
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Boudewijn T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Brans
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Menno L W
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Knetsch
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Division of Materials Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research School CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P. Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Leo H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Koole
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D001466:Barium Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry*; D001843:Bone Cements / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D003287:Contrast Media; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006244:Hardness; D008422:Materials Testing; D008863:Microspheres; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D054854:Vertebroplasty / Q000379:methods*; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D001843:Bone Cements; D003287:Contrast Media; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D006046:Gold; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate
keywords: Bone cement; Gold; Injectable cement; Polymethylmethacrylate; Radiopacity; Vertebroplasty