The findings of a study that was recently published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part A suggest that surgical techniques could stabilize the osseointegration (OI) skin-implant interface, thus enhancing a skin-to-bone seal around the percutaneous device and minimizing infection.
A team of researchers hypothesized that broadening the bone base at the distal end of the femur would provide added surface area for skin adhesion and reduce stresses at the skin-implant interface, which would reduce soft-tissue breakdown and subsequent risk of infection. They tested this hypothesis using finite element models of an OI in a residual limb. Results showed a dramatic decrease in stress reduction, with up to ¡90 percent decrease in stresses at the skin-implant interface as cortical bone thickness increased from 2mm to 8mm.