Effect of intermittent pneumatic soft-tissue compression on XXXX -healing in an animal model.

@entity174 @entity95 @entity661 @entity2979 @entity291
BACKGROUND: The @entity174 -healing process is closely related to blood supply. Intermittent pneumatic compression of the surrounding soft tissue may alter blood flow and, therefore, modify the healing process. The object of the present study was to evaluate the effect of intermittent pneumatic compression on @entity174 -healing in an animal model. METHODS: Unilateral, transverse, mid-tibial osteotomies with a 3-mm gap were performed in thirty @entity95 . The osteotomy site was stabilized with a double-bar external fixator. The femoral vein was ligated to induce @entity2979 . Beginning on the fourth postoperative day, fifteen @entity95 were treated with intermittent pneumatic compression with use of four @entity661 , two around the distal part of the @entity291 and two around the midpart of the @entity291 , for one hour daily for four weeks (the study group) and fifteen @entity95 were not treated with intermittent pneumatic compression (the control group). Peripheral computerized tomographic examination was performed biweekly to measure callus area and mineral content at the @entity174 gap. At eight weeks, the @entity95 were killed, and the biomechanical properties of the healing fractures were evaluated with a torsional test. RESULTS: An increase in callus area and mineral content at the osteotomy gap was observed in the study group, compared with the values in the control group, starting four weeks after the index procedure. At six weeks, the @entity95 treated with intermittent pneumatic compression exhibited, on the average, a 32.2% larger callus area (p = 0.035) and a 49.7% higher mineral content (p = 0.01) at the osteotomy site compared with the values in the control group. The torsional stiffness, maximum torque, angular displacement at maximum torque, and energy required to failure of specimens in the study group were an average of 27.0% (p = 0.05), 61.5% (p = 0.0001), 35.4% (p = 0.0003), and 110.8% (p = 0.0001) higher, respectively, than those in the control group at eight weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent pneumatic compression enhanced callus mineralization and development and it improved the biomechanical properties of a healing osteotomy site in the @entity95 tibia.
