BACKGROUND
Long bone segmental defects occur when a long bone has bone loss in length of greater than 1.5 times the diameter of the bone, or longer than one-fifth the long bone length. The treatment of these serious bone defects (e.g., osteomyelitis) or injuries rely on complex orthopedic surgical procedures, with the field standards being distracted osteogenesis using the Ilizarov technique and vascularized bone grafting. These approaches, while successful, still have serious drawbacks. These are the long healing time and the need for multiple surgeries, which can present additional risks. There is a serious need for novel bone repair devices which can be more biocompatible and increase the rate of bone growth.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at OSU have developed a concept of an implantable medical device that can substantially truncate healing time for critical and super-critical long-bone segmental defects where non-union is a concern. The device is completely bio-resorbable and provides internal fixation of bone ends during the initial surgery without the need for subsequent fixation device removal (necessary given current field standards). Further, the implant accelerates bone regeneration from end-to-end of the segmental defect, while promoting and rapid vascularization and neurogenesis in the new bone.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
MAIN ADVANTAGES
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT