Neurotoxicity testing of a new bioactive bone cement.

Bioactive bone cement (BABC) is a novel artificial bone cement. It has some noteworthy characteristics that are applicable to neurological surgery. The toxicity of BABC to the nervous system was tested by implanting BABC and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement as a control at the parietal and the suboccipital regions of the skull in beagles. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) was tested before and after implantation. Sections of the cerebral cortex and the acoustic nerve were examined at 3 and 6 months after implantation. No abnormal ABR was found in any animals. Histological examination of the cerebral cortex and acoustic nerve demonstrated slight gliosis in both the BABC and PMMA cement groups, but no other abnormalities.