Biological Evaluation of Pliable Polymer-Ceramic Composites

Globally millions of people receive head injuries from accidents or sporting activities. As a result, skull is malformed and correction of cranium becomes imperative for both protective and cosmetic reasons. The neurosurgical procedure that is employed for putting the skull back to its normal topography by means of operative repair of the skull defect is called cranioplasty. The present study reports processing and evaluation of performance of a hydroxyapatite (HAP) reinforced ethylene vinyl acetate co-polymer (EVA) composites with special emphasis on biological performance of this composite, when implanted in the rabbit cranium.Physico-mechanical analysis of this material proved that it was sturdy enough for cranioplasty. Implantation studies in rabbit cranium showed that the material was well accepted by the host. Histological evaluation showed repair of the skull defect with extensive bone formation around the implant and newly formed bone was found to juxtapose the composite implants at many areas. . Overall, the composite materials induced satisfactory response indicating possible future application as a material for skull repair.