A novel sheep vertebral bone defect model for injectable bioactive vertebral augmentation materials

New injectable bone substitutes have been developed that are, unlike polymethylmethacrylate, biologically active and have an osteogenic effect leading to osteogenesis and bone remodeling for vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. In this study, we developed a sheep vertebral bone defect model to evaluate the new bioactive materials and assessed the feasibility of the model in vivo. Bone voids were experimentally created on lumbar vertebrae L2–L5 with L1 and L6 left intact as a normal control in mature sheep. The defect vertebrae L2–L5 in each sheep were randomized to receive augmentation with calcium phosphate cement (CPC) or sham. Vertebrae (L1–L6) were collected after 2 and 24 weeks of the cement augmentation and their strength and stiffness, as well as osseointegration activity and biodegradability, were evaluated. Finally, CPC significantly improved the strength and stiffness of vertebrae but did not yet restore it to the normal level at 24 weeks. Osteogenesis occurred at a substantially high level after 24 weeks of CPC augmentation or sham. Therefore, the sheep vertebral model with one void, 6.0 mm in diameter and 15.0 mm in depth, is replicable and can be used for evaluating the new injectable bioactive materials in vertebral augmentation or reconstruction.