The effects of irradiation dose on the stiffness of cartilage grafts.
Abstract: Various centers report irradiated cartilage graft absorption rates that differ quite widely. We postulated that a major factor governing this phenomenon might be irradiation dose. Irradiation produces collagen cross-binding and increased resistance to absorption of such material when implanted. Since cross-binding produces stiffening of collagen, cartilage grafts were exposed to increasing doses of irradiation and their elastic modulus was measured. The postulate was that increasing radiation doses will produce grafts of increasing stiffness. Sternal cartilage, harvested from horses, was cut into blocks of a standard size and irradiated to 4, 6, 8, and 10 megarads. The elastic modulus of each specimen and matched control were measured on an Instron flexural testing machine (Instron Corp, Canton, MA). Irradiation at all four doses reduced the elastic modulus of the cartilage grafts, with the lowest dose producing a reduction of 50% and the highest dose one of 90%. High-dose irradiation appears to lessen greatly the stiffness of cartilage grafts and may be responsible for increasing absorption of grafts in centers in which high doses are used.
Publication Date: 1996-03-01 PubMed ID: 8659955DOI: 10.1097/00000637-199603000-00012Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article investigates how different levels of irradiation doses affect the stiffness of cartilage grafts, finding that higher doses decrease the graft’s stiffness, which could explain varied absorption rates across different centers.
Objective of the research
- The primary objective of the research was to understand if irradiation dose used in treating cartilage grafts could be a contributing factor towards different absorption rates reported at various centers. Herein, absorption rate refers to how well the graft becomes integrated into the host tissue.
Background
- Previous research has shown that irradiation leads to the cross-binding of collagen in the cartilage, increasing the resistance of the graft to being absorbed when implanted. Additionally, this cross-binding also makes collagen stiffer.
Procedure
- In the experiment, sternum cartilage from horses was harvested and cut into standardized blocks.
- These blocks were then exposed to varying doses of irradiation: 4, 6, 8, and 10 megarads.
- The elastic modulus of each specimen and its matching control were measured using an Instron flexural testing machine. Elastic modulus refers to the ratio of stress (pressure on a force) applied to a body and the strain (deformation caused by the force) the body experiences. It is essentially a measure of stiffness.
Findings
- The results indicate that irradiation at all four doses reduced the elastic modulus, or in simpler terms, the stiffness, of the cartilage grafts.
- Specifically, the reduction in stiffness was seen to be directly proportional to the irradiation dose – with a reduction of 50% at the lowest dose and a whopping 90% reduction at the highest dose.
- This suggests that high-dose irradiation can significantly decrease the stiffness of cartilage grafts.
Implication of research
- The findings from this study could explain the variance in graft absorption rates across different centers. The centers that use higher doses of irradiation in the treatment protocol might experience a higher absorption rate due to the lowered stiffness of the grafts.
Cite This Article
APA
Donald PJ, Deckard-Janatpour K, Sharkey N, Lagunas-Solar M.
(1996).
The effects of irradiation dose on the stiffness of cartilage grafts.
Ann Plast Surg, 36(3), 297-303.
https://doi.org/10.1097/00000637-199603000-00012 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, Davis, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Absorption
- Animals
- Cartilage / pathology
- Cartilage / radiation effects
- Cartilage / transplantation
- Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
- Elasticity
- Horses
- Radiation Injuries, Experimental / pathology
Citations
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