Bioengineering, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10030338 · Published: March 7, 2023
This study aimed to create a model for non-healing fractures in osteoporotic rats, which mimics the situation often seen in elderly patients. The researchers compared using a power tool (piezoelectric saw) to a manual tool (Gigli wire) to create fractures in the femur of rats with induced osteoporosis. The rat model involved inducing osteoporosis through ovariectomy and a special diet. Fractures were then created in the metaphysis (the wider part of the bone near the joint) using either a piezoelectric saw or a Gigli wire saw and stabilized with a mini-locking plate. The study found that fractures created with the piezoelectric saw failed to heal properly, leading to non-unions, while those created with the Gigli wire saw showed signs of healing. This suggests that the piezoelectric saw may cause tissue damage that impairs bone healing in osteoporotic conditions.
The developed non-union model can be used for testing novel biomaterials or pro-regenerative factors in a clinically relevant small animal model to enhance the healing of pseudoarthrosis in osteoporotic bone.
The study suggests caution in using piezoelectric saws for osteotomies in osteoporotic bone due to the potential for impaired healing and non-union formation.
The model allows for gaining insight into the mechanisms favoring a metaphyseal pseudoarthrosis in vivo, replicating a clinical setting more than previously published critical-size defect models.