Resorption patterns of calcium-phosphate cements in bone.

Two calcium phosphate cements, one monophasic and the other biphasic, have been used as bone void filler in a sheep model. The cements were injected into a slot defect in the proximal tibia and into a cylindrical defect in the distal femur. In this study, we focused on the resorption pattern of the two cement formulations and the subsequent biologic reaction. Bone remodeling occurred synchronously with the resorption of the implant material in a creeping substitution process. Cracks and pores in the monophasic cement were filled with osseous tissues. The biphasic cement showed faster resorption of the matrix. The more slowly resorbing granules were surrounded by newly grown bone, thus providing an inverse scaffold for cancellous bone regeneration. In highly loaded areas, the long-term support function of the fixation appears to be critical. Because cortical bridging of the defects was seen in only one case, it can be concluded that calcium-phosphate cements are preferentially suitable as cancellous bone substitute materials. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 66A: 532-540, 2003