Characterization of Powder Components of Commercial Bone Cements

Abstract

Acrylic bone cements have been used in orthopedic surgery without detailed information on their basic characteristics, especially on their powder components. In this study, the powder components of seven bone cements available on the market in Japan were characterized for morphology, polymer structure and molecular weight, content of residual monomer and benzoyl peroxide (BPO), and thermal properties using scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. Considerable differences between the seven bone cements were found in polymer structure and molecular weight, and especially in BPO content and in the morphology of the polymer particles such as shape, size and distribution. It was found that the BPO content was not always in agreement with the value given by the manufacturers on the package.