Water jet cutting of bone and bone cement : aA study of the possibilities and limitations of a new technique

Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2000
Sprache
German
Author(s)
Honl, Matthias  
Biomechanik M-3  
Rentzsch, Reemt
Lampe, Frank  
Muller, Volker
Dierk, Oliver
Hille, Ekkehard  
Louis, Hartmut L.
Morlock, Michael  
Biomechanik M-3  
TORE-URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11420/46617
Journal
Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik  
Volume
45
Issue
9
Start Page
222
End Page
227
Citation
Biomedizinische Technik 45 (9): 222-227 (2000)
Publisher DOI
10.1515/bmte.2000.45.9.222
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0034283178
Water jet techniques have been used in industrial cutting, drilling and cleaning applications for more than 30 years. Plain water is typically used for the cutting of non-metallic materials. The addition of abrasive substances to the stream allows almost any material to be cut. The first medical applications were reported in the early 1980s, when the water jet was used to cut organs. The present study investigates the use of water jet cutting technology for endoprosthesis revision surgery. Bone and PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) samples were cut at different pressures using an industrial water jet cutting device. Using plain water at 400 bar, PMMA was cut selectively without damaging the bone; above 400 bar, bone was also cut, but the cutting depths in PMMA were significantly greater (p < 0.05). Adding a water-soluble abrasive disaccharide to the water results in a significantly higher removal rate for both materials (p < 0.05), but selectivity is lost, although the differences in cutting depth between the two materials was significant (p < 0.05). With an abrasive, the quality of the cut was better for both materials. The water jet technology - in particular the abrasive technique - can be used to cut biomaterials such as bone and bone cement. The diameter of the jet is a great advantage when working in the confined area at the prosthesis interface. The cutting process is essentially cold, thus eliminating a thermal effect, and the jet reaction forces are relatively low. Accurate manipulation of the hydro jet nozzle is possible both manually and by robot. The results obtained show that it is possible to remove prostheses with this cutting technique, rapidly and with little damage to the surrounding tissue. Problem areas are the development of sterile pumps and the 'depth control' of the jet.
Subjects
Bone
Bone cement
Jet cutting
Prosthesis
Revision
Water jet
DDC Class
610: Medicine, Health