Acceleration of Bone Defect Healing and Regeneration by Low-Intensity Ultrasound Radiation Force in a Rat Tibial Model

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 44; no. 12; pp. 2646 - 2654
• Main Authors: Liu, Jingbo, Li, Xiaofei, Zhang, Dongye, Jiao, Jian, Wu, Lin, Hao, Fengyu, Qin, Yi-Xian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.12.2018
• Subjects: Acoustic radiation force; Bone defect; Bone regeneration; Fracture healing; Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; Osteogenesis; Trauma; Bone regeneration; Acoustic radiation force; Bone defect; Fracture healing; Trauma; Osteogenesis; Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.08.002

The objective was to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS)-induced acoustic radiation force on trabecular bone defect repair and healing in a rat tibial model. A uniform surgical defect, 3.5 mm in diameter, was generated in the proximal bilateral tibial region of rats (N = 20). LIPUS was applied to the defects in the left tibia for 20 min every day for 2 wk. Contralateral defects in the right tibia served as a control without active LIPUS treatment. The micro-computed tomography data revealed that LIPUS-treated tibia exhibited higher bone volume/total volume, connectivity density, trabecular number, and bone mineral density and significantly lower trabecular separation. Histomorphometry analysis indicated a similar trend. Mechanical testing data revealed that LIPUS treatment significantly increased bone stiffness relative to that of the control group. Short-term (2-wk) LIPUS therapy initiated trabecular bone repair and regeneration in large trabecular bone defects, whereas cortical bone remained in the initial non-mineralization stage.