Abstract
This article presents results on the effectiveness of a new version of the titanium porous composite skin and bone integrated pylon (SBIP). The SBIP is designed for direct skeletal attachment of limb prostheses and was evaluated in a preclinical study with three rabbits. In accordance with the study protocol, a new version of the pylon (SBIP-3) was implanted into the hind leg residuum of three rabbits. The SBIP-3 has side fins that are designed to improve the bond between the bone and pylon. The fins are positioned inside two slots precut in the bone walls; their length can be adjusted to match the thickness of the bone walls. After 13 (animal 1) or 26 (animals 2 and 3) wk, the animals were sacrificed and samples collected for histopathological analysis. The space between the fins and the bone into which they were fit was filled with fibrovascular tissue and woven bone. No substantial inflammation was found. We suggest that if further studies substantiate the present results, the proposed method can become an alternative to the established technique of implanting prostheses into the medullary canal of the hosting bone.