Clinical and Laboratory Studies in Osseointegration

Abstract

Osseointegration for lower limb amputees entails the anchorage of a percutaneous implant into the residual bone, where a prosthesis may be attached externally. The development of this technology was to overcome the shortcomings of conventional prostheses options for amputees including poor mobility outcomes, limited prosthesis use, and induction or amplification of major diseases. Little is known about the long-term success of Osseointegration, and there are gaps in the available literature of its physiological periprosthetic status for recipients. This body of work evaluates periprosthetic bone remodelling around two different types of osseointegrated prostheses, and bone remodelling in regions proximal to these types of implants. A new plasma-printing device designed for space technologies was appropriated to deposit biomaterials for implant surface coating purposes with material characterisation. Lastly, technology cross-over between space instrumentation and Osseointegration was evaluated in the context of the current problems faced by osseointegrated implant recipients and future implant designs. This dissertation outlines milestone clinical and laboratory findings in Osseointegration that will hopefully translate into new implant designs in context of the bone physiology results observed, and applications of new technologies. Overall, the future of Osseointegration appears promising and is likely to remain an impactful area of research for solving the issues associated with amputees.