Fatigue crack propagation of acrylic bone cements. Influence of the radio-opaque agents

In this work the 2,5-diiodo-8-quinolyl methacrylate (IHQM) is proposed as a new radiopaque agent. The addition of the iodine containing provided a sta tistically significant increase in the tensile strength, fracture toughness and ductility, with respect to the barium Sulphate Containing cement. This effect was attributed to the fact that the use of a radiopaque monomer eli minated the porosity associated to the barium sulphate particles. However, since fatigue resistance is one of the main properties required to ensure a good long-term performance of permanent prostheses, as is the case of acry lic bone cements, it is important to compare the fatigue properties of this new bone cement formulation with the radiolucent and the BaSO4 containing bone cement,. The results show that the absence of inorganic particles., wi th no matrix adhesion plays a negative role when the fatigue crack propagat ion is considered.