Ar. Loescher et al., THE EFFECTS OF IMPLANTED IONOMERIC AND ACRYLIC BONE CEMENTS ON PERIPHERAL-NERVE FUNCTION, Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine, 5(2), 1994, pp. 108-112
The effects of two experimental ionomeric and one commercial acrylic b
one cement and set ionomeric microimplant bone substitute (Ionogran(R)
) on peripheral nerve conduction, 1 and 3 weeks after implantation, ha
ve been compared. In 44 experiments the rat saphenous nerve was expose
d midway between the ankle and thigh and bone cement placed into a poc
ket created in the connective tissue adjacent to the nerve. In termina
l experiments, 1 and 3 weeks later, stimulating electrodes were placed
on the saphenous nerve at the ankle, and the amplitude and conduction
velocity of the compound action potential (CAP) evoked was recorded t
hrough another pair of electrodes positioned on the nerve proximal to
the implant, in the thigh, One week after placing an ionomeric bone ce
ment (HVA or V-4), no neural activity could be recorded. Three weeks,
after HVA implantation apparently normal CAPs were recorded indicating
a recovery from a temporary nerve conduction block, but 3 weeks after
V-4 implantation only small CAPs were recorded and these could be att
ributed to axonal regeneration. After implantation of acrylic bone cem
ent, small CAPs were recorded after 1 week, and within 3 weeks nerve c
onduction appeared to have completely recovered. Three weeks after pla
cing set ionomeric microimplant particles the amplitude and conduction
velocity of the CAP was similar to the controls.