http://lattes.cnpq.br/0625690569373047; BRITTO FILHO, Claudio Orestes.
Resumo:
Cranio-encephalic trauma (TBI) is a common situation in trauma hospitals and has
become responsible for the high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide, thus
constituting a public health problem with great socioeconomic impact due to its
consequences. The ECT can present in several ways, however, they need early
recognition in both primary care and clinical and neurological examination to initiate
advanced procedures to support life and reduce the incidence of neuronal lesions
secondary to trauma. When the victim of TBI is affected by injuries to the skullcap
where there is a need for grafting, there is a difficulty regarding bone replacement
and the availability of suitable materials at an affordable cost. With the evolution of
biomaterials, alloplastics have been used more frequently in TCE, among them
Polyether ether-ketone (PEEK), which is a biocompatible polymer of high
performance when compared to traditional polymers. Therefore, this work aims to
develop and evaluate composite structures of PEEK for the accomplishment of
Cranioplasty. The samples were obtained through the compression technique,
modulating the porosity of the phases using sodium chloride (NaCl), which were later
leached to form the pores. The raw material was characterized by Infrared
Spectroscopy with Fourier Transform (FTIR), Differential Exploration Calorimetry
(DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TG). For the samples that simulated the skull cap
were characterized by Optical Microscopy (MO), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Wettability by contact angle measurement, Compression Resistance and
Cytotoxicity. In the FTIR result, typical bands of PEEK absorption were observed. By
the DSC analysis it was possible to observe the behavior of a semicrystalline
material, in relation to the values obtained in the TG test, PEEK presents only a mass
loss peak corresponding to degradation, with a loss of mass of 46.91% which starts
at 532 ° C and goes up to 700 ° C. When analyzing the surface morphology of the
samples, an apparently rugose surface without pores was observed, it was also seen
that the surface that comes in contact with the salt tablet has a certain orientation
preferable, possibly accentuated by the finishing process. In the AFM, all the
samples have a rough surface, with a preferred orientation in the chains (parallel
grooves), which corroborates the images obtained by optical microscopy. In the
result of the wettability, the samples showed a contact angle around 50 to 60 °
indicating a characteristic profile of hydrophilic material. In the compressive strength
it was verified that the maximum deformation of the samples was approximately 20%
and the minimum deformation was almost 13.78%. The cytotoxicity assay indicated
the biocompatibility of the material. It is concluded that the results point to the
effectiveness of the methodology used, promisingly mimicking the basic structure of
the skull cap, and it is possible to infer that the samples have potential to be used in
cranioplasty.