Purpose of review: This review aims to explore the potential of biomimetic hydrogels as an alternative to bone cement in vertebral body stenting (VBS), a minimally invasive treatment for vertebral compression fractures.
Recent findings: The use of bone cement in VBS procedures can lead to complications such as incomplete fracture reduction and cement leakage. Biomimetic hydrogels have gained significant attention as potential biomaterial alternatives for VBS due to their unique properties, including tuneable therapeutic and mechanical properties. Over the past decade, there has been significant advancements in the development of biomimetic hydrogels for bone regeneration, employing a wide range of approaches to enhance the structural and functional properties of hydrogels. Biomimetic hydrogels hold significant promise as safer and reparative alternatives to bone cement for VBS procedures. However, further research and development in this field are necessary to explore the full potential of hydrogel-based systems for vertebral bone repair.
Keywords: Biomimetic hydrogels; Osteoporosis; Vertebral body stenting; Vertebral compression fractures.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.