What is the difference between bio-resorbable, bio-degradable and bio-absorbable implants?
By scientific definition, biodegradable refers to a biological mediated degradation process such as enzymatic and/or cellular processes. Bioresorption refers to a chemically mediated degradation process such as hydrolysis where the degradation products are then incorporated into normal metabolic pathways like the Krebs Cycle. Bioasbsorbable also refers to a chemically mediated degradation, but the degradation products are generally excreted through one of the body’s organ systems. All three terms are unfortunately used indiscriminately in both scientific and clinical literature and this has caused significant confusion. The above definitions are of course too much for this Q/A info sheet. Perhaps the best answer is to say the terms are in general the same in the sense that degradation occurs in the human body, but there differences are related to the degradation process.
