Effects of liquid nitrogen treatment on the mechanical properties of canine long bones.

We aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of canine long bones treated with liquid nitrogen for limb-sparing surgery (LSS) as described by Tsuchiya et al. Three-point bending tests were performed on left and right femurs and tibias obtained from healthy beagle cadavers to evaluate the bone mechanical properties. There were no significant differences in mechanical properties between the left and right bones from the same individual. Furthermore, none of the indices differed between liquid nitrogen-treated and untreated bones. Our findings suggest that liquid nitrogen treatment does not result in marked changes in the mechanical properties of canine long bones, and may provide basic mechanical information potentially relevant to LSS using liquid nitrogen-treated autografts.