[Medical Q&A] Is bone cement cement?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Han Liqiang, deputy chief physician, Tianjin University Central Hospital

Bone cement is often used in orthopedic surgery. Many people will think of the cement used on construction sites. In fact, bone cement is a polymer material specially used in medical treatment, which is fundamentally different from cement used in construction materials.

Bone cement is the common name for bone cement, which is composed of white powder and colorless liquid preparation with irritating odor. When used, the two are mixed to produce a polymerization reaction, and a special odor is released during the polymerization process. It starts like mortar, then like paste, and then becomes like dough. It can be kneaded and squeezed into any shape, and finally it will gradually harden. The whole process lasts about 10 minutes. Before hardening, the doctor will place it in the part where the joint is to be replaced or inject it into the injured vertebra to maintain the stability of the tissue. Because some of the physical properties of this substance and its appearance and properties after solidification are very similar to those of white cement used in construction, it has a popular and easy-to-remember name - bone cement, and its professional name is polymethyl methacrylate. Bone cement is mainly used in artificial joint replacement surgery, vertebral body shaping, etc. It is a high-tech product and is completely different from the cement on the construction site. Many patients worry that bone cement is harmful to the human body. After all, it can never be taken out after being put into the human body. In fact, cement monomers (before polymerization) are cytotoxic, but once polymers are formed, they are non-toxic, so they can be used with confidence.