The Effect of Materials and Porosity on Bone Formation of Degradable Scaffolds / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the effect of different materials and porosities on bone formation in the scaffold after implantation of the degradable bone scaffold into human body. Methods According to natural reaction mechanism of fracture healing, the finite element method was used, combined with geometry of the scaffold, to establish a computationally coupled model based on material degradation curve and bone reconstruction control equation. Through this platform, representative volume elements of the scaffold with five kinds of materials and four types of porosities were selected for calculation and analysis, and dynamic process was reflected by bone mineral density (BMD) and maximum stress of the scaffold. Results The elastic modulus of the materials had a greater influence on growth of bone tissues in the scaffold. The smaller elastic modulus of the materials would lead to the greater amount of bone formation, but it would also have a greater impact on mechanical properties of the scaffold. The scaffold with higher porosity had lower rigidity, which could better promote formation of bone tissues, meanwhile it would also destroy mechanical stability of the scaffold. Conclusions According to performance requirements for different age, gender and location of bone tissues, personalized reference and calculation basis for selection of materials and porosity, structural design and clinical application of degradable porous bone scaffolds can be provided.