WASHINGTON — A chemical compound that looks like toothpaste but hardens into artificial bone within hours is streamlining the treatment of fractured limbs and offers new hope for aged, fragile bones.
The compound, now in experimental trials at 12 U.S. hospitals, is used to hold splintered bones in place, to fill voids caused by osteoporosis and to replace some of the metal plates and screws that have been used to repair shattered hips, wrists and ankles.
"The material acts as an internal cement by holding the fragments in place," said Dr. Jesse B. Jupiter, a hand surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
A study to be published today in the journal Science found the compound is virtually identical to natural bone crystals. Once it is placed inside the body, the material hardens within 10 minutes and reaches the compression strength of natural bone within 12 hours. Within weeks, the study showed, the cement is replaced by real bone.
