| Summary: | Bone tunnel healing is an important consideration after anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement surgery. Recently, a variety of materials have been
proposed for improving this healing process, including autologous bone tissue, cells,
artificial proteins, and calcium salts. Amongst these materials are calcium phosphates
(CaPs), which are known for their biocompatibility and are widely commercially
available. As with the majority of the materials investigated, CaPs have been shown to
advance the healing of bone tunnel tissue in animal studies. Mechanical testing shows
fixation strengths to be improved, particularly by the application of CaP-based cement
in the bone tunnel. Significantly, CaP-based cements have been shown to produce
improvements comparable to those induced by potentially more complex treatments such as
biologics (including fibronectin and chitin) and cultured cells. Further investigation
of CaP-based treatment in the bone tunnels during ACL replacement is therefore warranted
in order to establish what improvements in healing and resulting clinical benefits may
be achieved through its application.
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