Abstract
BackgroundResearch studies on the influence of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on implants in vitro have failed to investigate temperature changes in the tissues adjacent to the implants under microwave therapy. We therefore, used a rabbit model in an effort to determine the impact of microwave therapy on temperature changes in tissues adjacent to the titanium alloy implants and the safety profile thereof.MethodsTitanium alloy internal fixation plates were implanted in New Zealand rabbits in the middle of femur. Microwave therapy was performed by a 2450 MHz microwave generator 3 days after the surgery. Temperature changes of muscles adjacent to the implants were recorded under exposure to dose-gradient microwave radiation from 20w to 60w.ResultsSignificant difference between control and microwave treatment group at peak temperatures (Tpeak) and temperature gap (Tgap= Tpeak-Tvally) were observed in deep muscles (Tpeak, 41.63 ± 0.21°C vs. 44.40 ± 0.17°C, P < 0.01; Tgap, 5.33 ± 0.21°C vs. 8.10 ± 0.36°C, P < 0.01) and superficial muscles (Tpeak, 41.53 ± 0.15°C vs. 42.03 ± 0.23°C, P = 0.04; Tgap, 5.23 ± 0.21°C vs. 5.80 ± 0.17°C, P = 0.013) under 60 w, and deep muscles (Tpeak, 40.93 ± 0.25°C vs. 41.87 ± 0.23°C, P = 0.01; Tgap, 4.73 ± 0.20°C vs. 5.63 ± 0.35°C, P = 0.037) under 50w, but not under 20, 30 and 40w.ConclusionOur results suggest that low-dose (20w-40w) continuous-wave microwave irradiation delivered by a 2450 MHz microwave generator might be a promising treatment for patients with titanium alloy internal fixation, as it did not raise temperature in muscle tissues adjacent to the titanium alloy implant.
Highlights
Research studies on the influence of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on implants in vitro have failed to investigate temperature changes in the tissues adjacent to the implants under microwave therapy
Preliminary study Previous studies observed that the electromagnetic field lines were focused on an edge or toward an end of implant leading to a high local flux [28,39]
Since the microwave irradiation focused on the middle of the implants, the two measuring positions of temperature were perpendicular to the middle hole of the titanium alloy plate
Summary
Research studies on the influence of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on implants in vitro have failed to investigate temperature changes in the tissues adjacent to the implants under microwave therapy. We used a rabbit model in an effort to determine the impact of microwave therapy on temperature changes in tissues adjacent to the titanium alloy implants and the safety profile thereof. Microwave radiation is defined as that with a frequency of 300 MHz-300GHz, which lies on the electromagnetic spectrum between radiofrequency (RF) and infrared radiation. Microwave treatment is used in the cure and rehabilitation of injuries and chronic inflammation of bone [6,8,9,10,11,12], joint [13,14], muscle and tendon [15,16]. The efficacy of an electromagnetic wave device depends on the target site and temperature
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