Biomedical subjects

Lisa Pruitt

Publications and source records attributed to Lisa Pruitt.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

In vivo behavior of acrylic bone cement in total hip arthroplasty.

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement serves as the primary fixation material between bone and the prosthetic component in cemented total hip arthroplasty. In vivo degradation of bone cement may lead to a decrease in mechanical properties of PMMA and result in aseptic loosening. However, other factors such as porosity and location of the cement relative to the bone implant interface may also contribute to mechanical behavior in vivo. This study investigated the mechanical properties of Simplex cement retrieved from 43 patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty. The time in vivo was between 1 month and 27 years. The variables studied included fracture toughness (KIC), porosity, molecular weight, time in vivo of the cement, and relative in vivo location of the cement with respect to the implant and bone. KIC did not correlate with time in vivo of the samples or with molecular weight. This suggests that time in vivo may not be the limiting factor in the mechanical integrity of the bone cement, A significant and inverse relationship was found between porosity and KIC. This implies that porosity is the most important factor in the mechanical behavior of bone cement during in vivo use.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip↗

PubMed2006

Osteolysis caused by tibial component debonding in total knee arthroplasty.

Late failure of total knee arthroplasties usually results from ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene wear or implant loosening. Early failure from osteolysis is uncommon. However, we treated a patient with a failed total knee arthroplasty from osteolysis that developed 2 years postoperatively. The failure was associated with tibial component debonding from the cement mantle with abundant cement and metal debris. Although there was some third-body debris in the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene insert surface, the insert wear was not extensive. Although abundant cement and metal debris were found in the periarticular soft tissues, no ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene was seen in histologic specimens under polarized light. The osteolysis seems to have been caused primarily by debris generated from debonding and torsional motion at the tibial baseplate-cement interface rather than the bearing surface. Although this failure mechanism has been well recognized in cemented total hip arthroplasties, it has not been reported to be a substantial cause of failure in total knee arthroplasties.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Effect of cross-linking on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is a semicrystalline polymer, which means that a portion of the molecules is in a solid crystalline phase and the remaining portion is in a rubbery amorphous phase. Varying the polymer chemistry in the two phases can alter the mechanical properties of the material. When highly cross-linked polyethylene is formed, the cross-links occur in the amorphous but not the crystalline region. Remelting after irradiation-induced cross-linking neutralizes the free radicals that are caused by irradiation but also decreases the amount of crystallinity. Decreased crystallinity can contribute to a decrease in mechanical properties. Annealing below the melt temperature after irradiation retains a higher level of crystallinity. However, heating below the melt temperature does not neutralize irradiation-induced free radicals that can then react with oxygen, causing oxidative degradation. Newer "second-generation" highly cross-linked polyethylenes have been developed that are annealed below the melt temperature, but use either a pharmacologic antioxidant, mechanical deformation, or sequential low-dose irradiation and annealing treatments rather than heating above the melt point to neutralize residual free radicals. High-pressure treatment at elevated temperatures also can increase crystallinity. However, increased crystallinity is associated with an increase in modulus and contact stress, which can increase wear. Although cross-linking ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can reduce wear, currently available highly cross-linked polyethylenes also decrease mechanical properties when compared with conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, so that use of these materials in total knee arthroplasty may contribute to mechanical failure of the bearing surface.

Compressive Strength↗

PubMed2003

Effect of bone porosity on the mechanical integrity of the bone-cement interface.

BACKGROUND: Osteopenia is one factor that may influence the decision about the type of implant fixation to use in total hip arthroplasty. However, clinical studies generally do not associate the outcome of an arthroplasty with the degree of osteopenia. The mechanical integrity of the cement fixation of an implant may be affected by the relative degree of osteopenia, which could account for some of the variable long-term results after total hip arthroplasty performed with cement. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of bone porosity, trabecular orientation, cement pressure, and cement penetration depth on fracture toughness at the bone-cement interface. METHODS: Trabecular bone from the proximal part of bovine femora was used with a single brand of commercial acrylic bone cement to form compact-tension interface specimens representing a range of bone porosities, orientations, and cement pressures within a clinically achievable range. All specimens were loaded to failure with use of a servohydraulic testing machine, and fracture toughness at the interface was calculated. After testing, images of a representative sample of specimens were made with use of computed tomography to measure the penetration depth of the cement into the bone. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between fracture toughness and bone porosity, trabecular orientation, and cement pressure, with bone porosity having the strongest effect (p < 0.000015). Examination of the computed tomographic images also showed a significant correlation between fracture toughness and maximum cement penetration depth (p < 0.033), as well as significant partial correlations between maximum and mean penetration depth and bone porosity (p < 0.0037 and p < 0.0028). CONCLUSION: The fracture resistance of the bone-cement interface is greatly improved when the ability of the cement to flow into the intertrabecular spaces is enhanced.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Retrieved glenoid components: a classification system for surface damage analysis.

There have been many reports describing modes of damage in retrieved total hip and total knee arthroplasty components. The most common mechanism in total hip arthroplasties has been shown to be surface wear. Fatigue failure shown as pitting and delamination are observed more often in total knee components. There has been no previous analysis of retrieved polyethylene glenoid components. This study evaluated the wear mechanisms contributing to failure of total shoulder glenoid components. Polyethylene glenoid components from 10 consecutive total shoulder arthroplasties have been retrieved and analyzed. Wear mechanisms were analyzed under low-power magnification, and a classification system was designed for total shoulder arthroplasties. This classification system is an adaptation of previous models of hip and knee surface damage. The severity of each damage mode was graded in 4 separate quadrants. The most prevalent damage modes were abrasion, pitting, and delamination. These data show a combination of abrasive wear and fatigue in retrieved total shoulder specimens. Surface wear and subsurface fatigue failure mechanisms both contribute to glenoid implant failure.

Aged↗