Biomaterials are designed to support orthopedic surgeons and once implanted they will help the body to heal itself. In this way one of the most attractive substances are biomaterials that allow gluing of bone fragments and implant fixation. Although no bone adhesive is established for practical use in clinical practice yet, there is evidence in vitro and in vivo that a new class of bone adhesives based on alkylene bis(dilactoyl)-methacrylates may meet the requirements to bridge the gap between bench and bedside. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the long-term biocompatibility as well as the integration in the remodeling process of a new polymer of this group of substances that was used for both fragment adaptation and implant fixation in a large-scale animal model. In 24 sheep the lateral tibial condyle was osteotomized and refixed by three cortical screws. In 12 of them overdrilling the bone thread of one screw was performed to simulate the poor mechanical properties of osteoporotic bone and the polymer was used in this setting for screw augmentation, furthermore the osteotomy surface was covered with polymer before osteosynthesis to analyze the influence of the material on bone healing. In the other 12 sheep that served as controls osteosynthesis was performed without a polymer. All animals were permitted to walk immediately after surgery under full weight bearing conditions. Six animals of the polymer group and six animals of the control group were analyzed after 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively. Bone healing and implant integration was evaluated by contact X-rays, histology and histomorphometric quantification. After 6 weeks integrity of the healing bone in the polymer group was preserved as compared to the controls, albeit signs of prolonged aseptic inflammation were observed in the polymer group, which is in line with previous reports. In sharp contrast after 6 months, extensive tissue destruction was observed in all animals of the polymer group that was attributed to a massive foreign body reaction at the histological level. These long-term results suggest that (i) short-term observation not always allow valid conclusions regarding the biocompatibility of biomaterials, (ii) that biocompatibility might vary between species, and (iii) that the polymer used in this setting, although previously attributed to be a good candidate for clinical use in patients, does not meet the necessary criteria and tremendously interferes with the physiology of skeletal repair.
