Authors: N. Eisenstein, R. Williams, S. Cox, S. Stapley, L. Grover
Link: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2016/tb/c6tb00461j
The pathological formation of bone in soft tissue can result in significant disability, prevent prosthetic limbs from fitting, and limit joint movement. A range of conditions exist, which are characterised by this local tissue ossification. The awareness of one such condition, heterotopic ossification, has increased recently due to the extraordinarily high incidence of the condition in military amputees (64.6%). Although the process of formation is biologically mediated through a massive inflammatory response, there is currently no adequate treatment or prophylaxis for the condition. This study investigates the use of hexametaphosphate (HMP) as a demineralising agent for the treatment of pathological ossification.