THE BIOMECHANICAL CAPACITY OF THE PERIOSTEUM IN INTACT LONG BONES.

Aim. We evaluated the effect of the intact periosteum on the biomechanical properties of the rat long bones. Materials-Methods. The biomechanical properties of both femora and tibiae of 30 male, 4-month old Wistar rats have been evaluated in three-point bending testing. In one bone of each pair of femora or tibiae the periosteum was preserved intact, while in the contra-lateral bone the periosteum was stripped off. Ultimate strength,stiffness,energy absorption and deflection were derived automatically from the load-deformation curve recorded for each bone.Results. As regards the femur, the periosteum-covered bones displayed statistically significant higher values for all parameters measured compared to the periosteum-stripped bones. In the tibia, only energy absorption and deflection were significantly higher in the periosteum-covered bones. The fracture pattern was also different in these two groups. The periosteum-stripped femora and tibiae failed catastrophically, while in the periosteum-covered bones ...