F. Eitel, S. Koenig, H. Schmotzer, Plus Orthopedics AG, Aarau, Switzerland
For more than 20 years alumina-blasted surfaces have been successfully used for cementless surgical implants, because of their good biocompatibility and rapid osseointegration. However, it has been shown recently that grit-blasting leads to partial embedding of aluminum oxide particles that can cover 24% to 40% of the surface, with a difference between manufacturers. These particles can invade the joint space when dislodged and result in third body wear of the articulating surface. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method which can reduce or substantially eliminate the hard particles covering grit-blasted surfaces without affecting the existing topography. The efficacy of four different surface treatments to reduce alumina coverage is presented regarding surface coverage, surface topography and surface roughness.
A combination of chemical and mechanical treatment is able to reduce the alumina surface coverage of grit-blasted titanium implants by up to 96% without changing the existing surface micro topography. Potential particle shedding of alumina is virtually eliminated.
Summary: For more than 20 years alumina-blasted surfaces have been successfully used for cementless surgical implants, because of their good biocompatibility and rapid osseointegration. However, it has been shown recently that grit-blasting leads to partial embedding of aluminum oxide particles that can cover 24% to 40% of the surface, with a difference between manufacturers. These particles can invade the joint space when dislodged and result in third body wear of the articulating surface which could increase metal ion-release. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method which can reduce or substantially eliminate the hard particles covering grit-blasted surfaces without affecting the existing topography. The efficacy of four different surface treatments to reduce alumina coverage is presented regarding surface coverage, surface topography and surface roughness.
A combination of chemical and mechanical treatment is able to reduce the alumina surface coverage of grit-blasted titanium implants by up to 96% without changing the existing surface micro topography. Potential particle shedding of alumina is virtually eliminated.
