The Effect of Low-intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on Fracture Healing in Insulin-dependant Diabetic Bb Wistar Rats

Introduction: Insulin dependant diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is an autoimmune disease that disrupts the body’s ability to produce insulin, and thus regulate the level of glucose in the blood. IDDM is associated with numerous systemic complications, including the impairment of fracture healing. Common problems include delayed unions, non-unions, and pseudoarthrosis. Previous studies conducted in our laboratory have demonstrated that IDDM BB Wistar rats have lower levels of cellular proliferation during the early phases of fracture healing, and lower mechanical strength in later phases of fracture healing than do non-diabetic prone BB Wistar control rats. Low-intensity ultrasound (US) has been shown to increase mechanical strength in non-diabetic Long-Evans rats. We chose to evaluate the effect of ultrasound on cellular proliferation and mechanical strength in IDDM BB Wistar rats and compare the results to diabetic (DM) and non-diabetic control rats.