The Effect of Gamma Radiation Sterilization on Yield Properties and Microscopic Tissue Damage in Dense Cancellous Bone

Cancellous bone allografts are increasingly attractive because the high porosity allows for rapid in-growth and the stiffness closely matches that of the host bone. Allografts are sterilized with gamma radiation which can affect the mechanical properties and damage processes of bone. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of gamma radiation sterilization on yield properties of dense cancellous bone and identify differences in microdamage accumulation. Compression tests of cylindrical bovine proximal tibia specimens sterilized at a dose of 29.32 kGy and control specimens were conducted to 1.3% strain. Histological sections were obtained to examine microscopic tissue damage. Sterilization had no effect on the yield properties of cancellous bone, but irradiated specimens had higher residual strain and significantly more microscopic tissue damage in the form of microfractures. This suggests that sterilization changes the damage processes of cancellous bone and could affect the performance of an allograft following overloading.

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Year

Entry

1992

Anderson MJ, Keyak JH, Skinner HB. Compressive mechanical properties of human cancellous bone after gamma irradiation. J Bone Joint Surg. June 1992;74A(5):747-752.

2005

Akkus O, Belaney RM. Sterilization by gamma radiation impairs the tensile fatigue life of cortical bone by two orders of magnitude. J Orthop Res. September 2005;23(5):1054-1058.

2002

Currey JD. Bones: Structure and Mechanics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2002.

2005

Nagaraja S, Couse TL, Guldberg RE. Trabecular bone microdamage and microstructural stresses under uniaxial compression. J Biomech. 2005;38(4):707-716.

2005

Hernandez CJ, Tang SY, Baumbach BM, Hwu PB, Sakkee AN, van der Ham F, DeGroot J, Bank RA, Keaveny TM. Trabecular microfracture and the influence of pyridinium and non-enzymatic glycation-mediated collagen cross-links. Bone. December 2005;37(6):825-832.