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Bone Implant Offers Hope for Skull Deformities
November 20, 2009A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon. Implants replacing some of the infant's bone with the biodegradable matrix could eliminate some of the operations currently used to treat the condition.
"The remarkable thing about this is the finding that the composition of the matrix changes what the cells around it do. Cells begin producing natural drugs to drive bone healing in direct response to the composition of the bone matrix," said Kent Leach, professor of biomedical engineering at UC Davis.
The material is currently being tested in experiments with rats. Human trials will depend upon the success of tests in animals.
The human skull is not a smooth dome, but a patchwork of fused bones that resembles a soccer ball rather than an egg. At birth, the skull contains 45 separate pieces, joined by connective tissue, that slowly fuse together into solid bone. In most babies, this process keeps pace with brain growth, resulting in a normally shaped head.
However, one in every 2,000 babies is born with craniosynostosis, where the plates fuse and the skull becomes rigid. This leaves less room for the brain to grow, leading to developmental disabilities, and cranial and facial deformities.
In the standard surgery, surgeons remove fused bones, break them up and reposition some of the pieces along the edges to protect the brain. This usually slows the bone growth and allows the brain to grow. Nevertheless, 6 to 8 percent of babies will need a second operation and 25 percent of those will need yet a third operation.
Leach believes that the environment surrounding the cells might be sending the wrong instructions, causing cells to grow wrong. Leach's biodegradable implant is impregnated with stem cells from bone marrow and a synthetic version of hydroxyapatite, a chemical produced naturally in the body to stimulate bone growth. Once implanted, bone-forming cells enter the matrix. Leach's research with rats shows dense connective tissue, suggestive of bone formation, only eight weeks after implantation.
Leach hopes that his new matrix will encourage the growth of healthy tissue and eliminate the need for second and third surgeries. "The matrix will resorb over time, leaving only the child's own bone," he said.
Leach's work is funded by a grant from The Hartwell Foundation.
University of California - Davis
The human skull is not a smooth dome, but a patchwork of fused bones that resembles a soccer ball rather than an egg. At birth, the skull contains 45 separate pieces, joined by connective tissue, that slowly fuse together into solid bone. In most babies, this process keeps pace with brain growth, resulting in a normally shaped head.
However, one in every 2,000 babies is born with craniosynostosis, where the plates fuse and the skull becomes rigid. This leaves less room for the brain to grow, leading to developmental disabilities, and cranial and facial deformities.
In the standard surgery, surgeons remove fused bones, break them up and reposition some of the pieces along the edges to protect the brain. This usually slows the bone growth and allows the brain to grow. Nevertheless, 6 to 8 percent of babies will need a second operation and 25 percent of those will need yet a third operation.
Leach believes that the environment surrounding the cells might be sending the wrong instructions, causing cells to grow wrong. Leach's biodegradable implant is impregnated with stem cells from bone marrow and a synthetic version of hydroxyapatite, a chemical produced naturally in the body to stimulate bone growth. Once implanted, bone-forming cells enter the matrix. Leach's research with rats shows dense connective tissue, suggestive of bone formation, only eight weeks after implantation.
Leach hopes that his new matrix will encourage the growth of healthy tissue and eliminate the need for second and third surgeries. "The matrix will resorb over time, leaving only the child's own bone," he said.
Leach's work is funded by a grant from The Hartwell Foundation.
University of California - Davis
Craniosynostosis minimally invasive surgery holds more promise than old procedure
Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of the skull, is estimated to affect one out of every 2,000 babies. For the past several years, physicians have used two procedures to correct the problems.
SSRI antidepressants do not pose major birth defect risk
Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressants do not appear to increase the risk for most kinds of birth defects.
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Craniosynostosis: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management by M. Michael Cohen (Editor), Ruth E. MacLean (Editor) Craniosynostosis, the early fusion of skull sutures, is a serious abnormality of infancy and childhood. Because there are many forms of the condition, both isolated and syndromatic, proper diagnosis is essential before treatment could be carried out. Not only has surgical treatment advanced in recent years, but basic knowledge of sutural and molecular biology of craniosynostosis syndromes has recently come to light. Because dramatic changes have occurred in the field, particularly in molecular biology, this new edition has been rewritten and new chapters have been added on the growth of sutures, craniofacial surgery, and epidemiology and clinical correlations. The molecular basis of craniosynostosis, with emphasis on fibroblast growth receptors, and recent research on postnatal growth... |
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Craniosynostosis - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References by ICON Health Publications (Author) In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: "The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading." Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and printing.This book was created for medical professionals, students, and members of the general public who want to conduct medical research using the most advanced tools available and spending the least amount of time doing so. |
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Scientific Foundations and Surgical Treatment of Craniosynostosis by John A., M.D. Persing (Author), Milton T. Edgerton (Editor) | |
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