Thursday, September 30, 2010

Fracture alters bone electrical potential

If fracture does induce bone electrical potential, maybe another mechanism of inducing bone electrical potential such as LSJL could increase height?

Intraoperative measurement of bone electrical potential: a piece in the puzzle of understanding fracture healing.

"Bone electrical potentials change with the force applied. Also, fracture alters the bone electrical potential, so it becomes more electronegative.
52 patients with a pertrochanteric fracture were included in the study. Bone electrical potentials were measured intraoperatively using a thin Kirschner wire introduced through bone cortex at the selected point and pointed to opposite cortex, not penetrating it. Kirschner wires were connected using clamps to multimeter (YF-78 Multimeter) device. Neutral electrode (inductive rubber) was placed behind ipsilateral gluteus.
Near the fracture site potentials of -199 up to -267 mV were recorded. Mean measured potential of bone plate after fixation was -240 mV. Bone potentials correlated with the subtype of fracture and early mobilisation of patients."

"Strain changes the electrical potential of bone: parts exposed to the compression force develop negative potential, and parts subjected to the tension force positive potential. Negative potential is associated with bone deposition, and positive with bone resorption."

"In the typical electro-potential curve pattern the metaphysis is negative with respect to the epiphysis, and the diaphysis is isopolar or electropositive. Metaphysis reaches a peak in electronegativity two to three centimetres below the epiphysis. In a fractured bone, the entire shaft becomes electronegative; the metaphyseal peak becomes more negative; and a secondary peak of electronegativity, that may exceed the metaphyseal peak, appears over the fracture site"

This was an exploratory study without much definitive results.

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