Abstract
Cadaveric decellularized bone tissue is utilized as an allograft in many musculoskeletal surgical procedures. Typically, the allograft acts as a scaffold to guide tissue regeneration with superior biocompatibility relative to synthetic scaffolds. Traditionally these scaffolds are machined into the required dimensions and shapes. However, the geometrical simplicity and, in some cases, limited dimensions of the donated tissue restrict the use of allograft scaffolds. This could be overcome by additive manufacturing using granulated bone that is both decellularized and demineralized. In this study, the large area projection sintering (LAPS) method is evaluated as a fabrication method to build porous structures composed of granulated cortical bone bound by polycaprolactone (PCL). This additive manufacturing method utilizes visible light to selectively cure the deposited material layer-by-layer to create 3D geometry. First, the spreading behavior of the composite mixtures is evaluated and the conditions to attain improved powder bed density to fabricate the test specimens are determined. The tensile strength of the LAPS fabricated samples in both dry and hydrated states are determined and compared to the demineralized cancellous bone allograft and the heat treated demineralized-bone/PCL mixture in mold. The results indicated that the projection sintered composites of 45–55 wt %. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) particulates produced strength comparable to processed and demineralized cancellous bone.
Highlights
Treatment of the large bone voids caused by trauma, aging or disease is a challenge
A demineralized bone fraction between 45–55 wt % was identified as the mixture ratio that resulted in sufficient mechanical properties for handling while containing significant demineralized bone particles to aid bio-integration
Mechanical testing of the samples made with these two ratios demonstrated that an increased PCL content improves the mechanical properties
Summary
Treatment of the large bone voids caused by trauma, aging or disease is a challenge. Healing is promoted when such voids are filled with scaffolds that strive to closely mimic the natural tissue. Many researchers have reported successful creation of porous structures with synthetic materials as a substitute for the spongy architecture of the bone Instances of such efforts include: Emulsion freezing/freeze-drying [2], solvent-casting/particulate leaching [3], gas foaming [4] and fiber bonding [5]. Another traditional solution to treat orthopedic defects is machining bone allografts into standard clinical shapes from donated cadaveric bone. It would be difficult to find a sufficiently large allograft in emergency situations where a patient’s anatomy necessitates supplying a fairly large bone allograft scaffold All these methods share the weaknesses of a limited ability to produce complex geometries [7]
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