BIOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ETHYLENE-OXIDE STERILIZED AND CRYOPRESERVED CORTICAL BONE ALLOGRAFTS

To evaluate changes during preservation, 76 femoral segments of cortic al bone of dogs were tested biomechanically in order to determine thei r strength in compression, in bending and in torsion. These bones were wrapped in plastic-paper and they were sterilized with ethylene oxide 12%, at 30-degrees-C and 1.4 bars and preserved thereafter at -20-deg rees-C. According to the applied loading test, three treatment groups were devised; each treatment group was subdivided into five groups: on e control (fresh specimen) and four test-groups differing from each ot her by the preservation time; i.e. 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Statistical a nalysis has demonstrated that there is not a significant difference be tween the test results for each test-group and its control. The conclu sion of this study was that bones, treated as described above, can be stored up to one year without risks to significantly reduce their stre ngth in compression, in bending and in torsion.