Comparison of three-dimensional digital analyses and two-dimensional histomorphometric analyses of the bone-implant interface

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 10; p. e0276269
• Main Authors: Hong, Jeong-Min, Kim, Ung-Gyu, Yeo, In-Sung Luke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 14.10.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal models; Antibiotics; Biology and Life Sciences; Bone implants; Bone-implant interfaces; Complications and side effects; Computed tomography; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Dental implants; Diagnostic imaging; Engineering and Technology; Evaluation; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microscopy; Orthopedic implants; Osseointegration; Patient outcomes; Rabbits; Random variables; Ratios; Reliability analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Specimen preparation; Surgery; Three dimensional analysis; Tibia; Titanium; Two dimensional analysis; South Korea; Belgium; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276269

Histological analysis is considered to be the gold standard method of evaluating osseointegration around a bone-implant. However, this method requires invasive specimen preparation and is capable of representing only one plane. By comparison, micro-computed tomography (μCT) is a fast and convenient method that offers three-dimensional information but is hampered by problems related to resolution and artifacts, making it a supplementary method for osseointegration analysis. To verify the reliability of μCT for osseointegration evaluation, this animal model study compared bone-to-implant contact (BIC) ratios obtained by the gold standard histomorphometric method with those obtained by the μCT method, using a rabbit tibia implant model. A sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA) implant and a machined surface implant were inserted into each tibia of two rabbits (giving eight implants in total). Bone-implant specimens were analyzed using μCT with a spiral scan technique (SkyScan 1275) and histological sections were prepared thereafter. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed μCT data and four two-dimensional (2D) μCT sections, including one section corresponding to the histologic section and three additional sections rotated 45°, 90°, and 135°, were used to calculate the BIC ratio. The Pearson’s test was used for correlation analysis at a significance level of 0.05. The histomorphometric BIC and the 2D-μCT BIC showed strong correlation (r = 0.762, P = 0.046), whereas the histomorphometric BIC and 3D-μCT BIC did not (r = -0.375, P = 0.385). However, the mean BIC value of three or four 2D-μCT sections showed a strong correlation with the 3D-μCT BIC (three sections: r = 0.781, P = 0.038; four sections: r = 0.804, P = 0.029). The results of this animal model study indicate that μCT can be used to complement the histomorphometric method in bone-implant interface analyses. With the limitations of this study, 3D-μCT analysis may even have a superior aspect in that it eliminates random variables that arise as a consequence of the selected cutting direction.