[Percutaneous hollow screw internal fixation combined with cementoplasty in treatment of periacetabular metastasis].

Objective: To explore the percutaneous hollow screw internal fixation combined with cementoplasty in the treatment of periacetabular metastasis. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 16 patients with periacetabular metastasis who were treated with percutaneous hollow screw internal fixation combined with cementoplasty between May 2020 and May 2021. There were 9 males and 7 females. The age ranged from 40 to 73 years, with an average of 53.6 years. The tumor involved around the acetabulum, and 6 cases were located on the left and 10 cases on the right. Operation time, frequency of fluoroscopy, bed rest time, and complications were recorded. Before operation, and at 1 weeks, 3 months after operation, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the pain degree, the short-form 36 health survey scale (SF-36) score was used to evaluate the quality of life. At 3 months after operation, the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system was used to evaluate the functional recovery of patients. During follow-up, the loosening of internal fixator and bone cement leakage were observed by X-ray film. Results: All patients were performed operation successfully. The operation time ranged from 57 to 82 minutes, with an average of 70.4 minutes. The frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy was 16-34 times, with an average of 23.1 times. After operation, 1 case of incision hematoma and 1 case of scrotal edema occurred. All patients felt the pain relieved after operation. The patients started walking at 1-3 days after operation, with an average of 1.4 days. All patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean 9.7 months). The VAS and SF-36 scores significantly improved after operation when compared with the preoperative scores, and the scores at 3 months after operation were significant better than those at 1 week after operation ( P<0.05). At 3 months after operation, the MSTS score ranged from 9 to 27, with an average of 19.8. Among them, 3 cases were excellent (18.75%), 8 cases were good (50%), 3 cases were fair (18.75%), and 2 cases were poor (12.5%). The excellent and good rate was 68.75%. And 11 patients returned to normal walking, 3 had mild claudication, and 2 had obvious claudication. Radiological examination showed that there were 2 cases of bone cement leakage after operation, and there was no internal fixator loosening or displacement. Conclusion: Percutaneous hollow screw internal fixation combined with cementoplasty can effectively relieve pain and improve the quality of life of patients with periacetabular metastasis.

Sustained releasing sponge-like 3D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.

Tissue engineering (TE) is envisaged to play a vital role in improving quality of life by restoring, maintaining or enhancing tissue and organ functions. TE scaffolds that are two-dimensional in structure suffer from undesirable issues, such as pore blockage, and do not closely mimic the native extra-cellular matrix in tissues. Significant efforts have therefore been channeled to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds using various techniques, especially electrospinning. In this study, we propose a modified one-step electrospinning process to arrive at a 3D scaffold with highly interconnected pores. Using a blend of poly (L-lactide)/polycaprolactone/poly (ethylene oxide), this mechanically viable, sponge-like 3D scaffold exhibited sufficiently large pores and enabled cell penetration beyond 500 µm. Dexamethasone (Dex) was loaded into the fibers and a sustained drug release was achieved. Further, the potential of this Dex-loaded 3D scaffold was evaluated for upregulation of osteogenic genes with mesenchymal stem cells. The as-produced Dex-loaded 3D scaffold possesses a unique intertwined sub-micron fibrous morphology that can be tailored for use in bone tissue engineering and beyond.