Biocement—A New Material

Abstract

A newly developed material, which we call biocement, consisting of bisphenol-a-glycidyl methacry-later` (‘epoxide methacrylate’) as organic matrix and Bio-ceramic Battelle, Bioglass Hench and/or pentacalcium hydroxide triphosphate (‘tri-calcium phosphate’) powder as filling particles is presented. In an extension of previous experiments, various types of this biocement, containing different admixtures of paniculate matter, were employed to test their usefulness in head surgery, in particular maxillo-facial reconstruction, on dogs and a rhesus monkey. Encouraging results were obtained with regard to (a) fixing a titanium alloimplant under some degree of mechanical stress; (b) covering a defect in the skull cap, including the closure of an artificially induced meningeal fistula with liquorrhea; and (c) reconstruction of defects in the anterior wall of frontal sinuses. Spescial emphasis is placed on direct contact between biocement and bone, interdigitations between these two, reactions of meningeal tissue, and regeneration of ciliated epithelium underneath fixed reimplants over the frontal sinus.