SupraFusion - Implant Stability in Osteopenic Bone

The bone augmenting bond created by SupraFusion^® enhances fixation strength compared to corkscrew anchoring, particularly in osteopenic bone.

Pull-out strength in varying bone densities

Achieving reliable implant stability in osteopenic bone is a significant challenge in orthopedic and sports medicine. Reduced bone mineral density compromises the bone’s mechanical integrity, increasing the risk of implant loosening and fixation failure, which can negatively affect post-operative outcomes. Devices that provide secure fixation in low-density bone are necessary to mitigate these risks.

In this evaluation, we compared the pull-out strength of an ultrasonically inserted PL-(DL)-LA implant with a metallic corkscrew suture anchor across a broad range of bone densities [1]. As shown in Figure 1, the SupraFusion^® bond shows a distinctly different failure behavior than the screw:

- Bone augmentation through SupraFusion^® strengthens the bone structure adjacent to the implant and consequently, the failure happens distant from the implant site and not at the implant-bone interface.

- The screw geometry acts as a stress riser and induces bone fracture at the tip of the screw thread.

This difference in failure mechanisms creates a fundamental change in mechanical performance. The pullout strength for the SupraFusion^® implant is controlled by bone density and is significantly higher than that of the corkscrew anchor overall. This results in better mechanical engagement in low-density bone.

References

[1] D. C. Meyer, E. Felix, K. Ruffieux, and C. Gerber, ‘Influence of test temperature and test speed on the mechanical strength of absorbable suture anchors’, Arthroscopy, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 185–190, Feb. 2004, doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2003.11.014.

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Figure 1

Relationship between bone density and the pull-out strength for two fixation devices: a SupraFusion^® PL-(DL)-LA implant pin (diameter 3.5mm, blue line) and a Titanium Corkscrew anchor (diameter 5.0 mm, red line) The pictures on the right illustrate the fundamentally different failure behavior between the screw cutting into bone and the SupraFusion^® implant augmenting the bone.