Novel knee implant fixation technology: 3D printed foamed bioactive screw/electrospun tunnel filler

Mafalda Rodrigues, Rui Moreira, Inês V. Silva, Marta M. Duarte, Viviana P. Ribeiro, Ana L. Oliveira*, João B. Costa*

*Autor correspondente para este trabalho

Resultado de pesquisarevisão de pares

Resumo

Introduction: Musculoskeletal injuries, widespread across all ages, genders, and sociodemographic groups1, are prevalent in the knee joint. Besides the conservative treatments and physiotherapy, several degenerative and traumatic knee injuries require surgical intervention2. To address one of the most significant challenges in surgical orthopaedic procedures, long-term implant fixation3, an innovative solution was developed for knee ligaments and meniscus fixation. Polylactic acid (PLA) screws were developed through the combination of 3D printing, supercritical CO2 (scCO2) foaming and exopolysaccharides (EPS) impregnation. Additionally, to improve fixation efficiency, polycaprolactone (PCL) tunnel fillers supplemented with brushite particles were fabricated combining 3D printing and electrospinning4. The developed implant fixation technology aimed to combine a biodegradable and bioactive PLA screw with a PCL tunnel filler capable of creating a better implant anchorage grip and osteointegration leading to long term-term fixation. Conclusions: The novel knee implant fixation technology is fabricated of a PLA bioactive screw and a PCL tunnel filler. Regarding PLA screw, the results showed that lower infill density, as it presents a wider structure, correlates with a slightly increased CO2 saturation. Varying the batch pressures results in different CO2 states that ultimately affect not only the expansion ratio of the PLA screws but also the type of porosity induced by the foaming step. EPS CO2 impregnation process was implemented with success. The 3D printing process to produce PCL tunnel fillers was optimized with success. Electrospinning coating of the PCL tunnels fillers was also achieved. The results demonstrate that a 7.5% concentration of PCL produces high-quality fibers with good porosity, aligning with the target goal of mimicking bone porosity. A different approach will be tested to avoid clogging operational problems. In future, further tests to access EPS impregnation efficiency, mechanical properties of both screw and tunnel fillers as well in vitro cell culture studies to test cytotoxicity and bioactivity will be implemented.
Idioma originalEnglish
Número de páginas1
Estado da publicaçãoPublicado - 29 nov. 2024
EventoIII Jornada Iberos+: Instituto de Biofabricación en Red para el Envejecimiento Saludable - Laboratorio Ibérico Internacional de Nanotecnología, INL, Braga
Duração: 29 nov. 202429 nov. 2024

Conferência

ConferênciaIII Jornada Iberos+
País/TerritórioPortugal
CidadeBraga
Período29/11/2429/11/24

Impressão digital

Mergulhe nos tópicos de investigação de “Novel knee implant fixation technology: 3D printed foamed bioactive screw/electrospun tunnel filler“. Em conjunto formam uma impressão digital única.

Citação