Washington, June 14: A new method of treating broken or crushed bones will, it is believed, do away with the requirement of processes like bone grafting and amputation. This may facilitate the way for a bone to grow on its own, thereby leaving the patient with "natural bone".

Mulligan`s company has invented a technique that might lead to a revolution as far as bone surgeries are concerned. It goes this way. If, for instance, the humerus bone in the arm is injured and damaged, a CT scan or MRI image can be made of the good arm bone and converted to a "growth code" - a 3-D virtual image - of the replacement bone segment needed.

Using that data, the rapid prototyping technology then creates a micro-porous calcium phosphate coated polymer ‘bone` which is then surgically implanted into the arm where the damaged bone has been removed. The calcium phosphate coating is very thin and allows the bone cells to attach themselves to the implant. Growth factors could be added to the calcium phosphate to encourage the bone growth at faster rates.


Those who found the new surgery technique say what is left of the real bone attaches itself to the polymer bone after about eight weeks. Then the real bone begins to ‘grow through` the porous frame. As it does, it ‘eats` the frame, and the body naturally excretes the calcium phosphate material. In about 18 months, the bone is expected to find full shape, leaving the patient with "natural bone." Bureau Report