Articular cartilage replacement

Compatibility and Mechanical Properties of a Candidate for Articular Cartilage Replacement, Trans, of the 4th Annual Meeting Society of Biomaterials, 1978, 2, 159. ... 

Other biomedical applications of polymers include sustained and controlled drug delivery formulations for implantation, transdermal and trans-cornealuses, intrauterine devices, etc. (6, 7). Major developments have been reported recently on the use of biomaterials for skin replacement (8), reconstruction of vocal cords (9), ophthalmic applications such as therapeutic contact lenses, artificial corneas, intraocular lenses, and vitreous implants (10), craniofacial, maxillofacial, and related replacements in reconstructive surgery (I), and neurostimulating and other electrical-stimulating electrodes (I). Orthopedic applications include artificial tendons (II), prostheses, long bone repair, and articular cartilage replacement (I). Finally, dental materials and implants (12,13) are also often considered as biomaterials. 

Katta Jayanth K., Marcolongo Michele, Lowman Anthony, and Mansmann Kevin A. Friction and wear behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) hydrogels for articular cartilage replacement. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. A. 83 no. 2 (2007) 471-479. 

Biocompatibility and Mechanical Properties. Currently, their are no suitable artificial materials for the prosthetic replacement of articular cartilage. The biocompatibility is considered the primary criterion in the selection of such a material. In a recent study, Furst and co-workers(10) compared the biocompatibility of the polyurethane to the well known medical grade silicone polymer. The tissue reactions to small polymer discs, inserted in an articulating space—the suprapatellar bursa of rabbits, was examined. The foreign body reaction of the tissue at the implantation site was evaluated at intervals of 7 days,... 

Wear and Lubrication In-Vitro Study. Polyurethane surface layers with viscoelastic properties similar to natural articular cartilage has been proposed for use with hemiarthroplasty, a single component joint replacement in which the implant is intended to bear against a natural cartilage surface. Medley and... 

Conclusions. Results from the biocompatibility studies in rabbit supratellar bursa, measurement of hydrophilic properties, lubrication and wear in-vitro studies, determination of viscoelastic properties, measurement of damping coefficient and impact test, total elbow joint replacement design and in-vivo percutaneous implant experiment, all indicate that this series of polyurethanes is an excellent candidate biomaterial for the prosthetic replacement of articular cartilage, artificial joint prostheses and percutaneous implantable devices. 

Swieszkowski et al. studied the use of PVA-C as cartilage replacement for the shoulder joint. PVA-C was used as the articular layer of the glenoid component. The mechanical effects of using this material in the glenoid component were evaluated and a model of the cryogel as a hyperelastic material was developed to allow design modifications to limit contact stress [96]. 

It is known from recent investigations (2, 3, 4) that the transient elastohydrodynamic film formation and supplemental lubrication mechanism such as micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication, weeping, blphasic, boosted or boundary lubrication are capable of providing sufficient protection to the articular cartilages in natural joints. On the contrary, there is just a little information on the actual lubricating film formation in total replacement joints. 

Chondrocytes isolated from human articular cartilage harvested during total knee replacement have been cultured for 24, 48, and 72 hours in artificial synovial fluid and continuously perfused with differing concentrations of lidocaine and bupivacaine in... 

The PVA hydrogels have been used for a number of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, due to its advantages such as nontoxic, noncarcinogenic, and bioadhesive characteristics with the ease of processing. In addition to blood contact, artilicial kidney, and drug delivery applications (39-41), PVA show potential applications for soft tissue replacements (42), articular cartilage (43), artificial organs (44), and membranes (45). 

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