A new study was published in The Spine Journal's February 2016 issue examining Titan Spine's surface technology.
The study compared Titan's Endoskeletan titanium interbody fusion device with titanium-coated PEEK implants. Researchers simulated biomechanical impaction into the disc space. The researchers found:
1. Titanium implants with Titan Spine's unique surface technology showed no sign of impaction debris.
2. Twenty-six percent of the teeth on the titanium-coated PEEK implants lost coating material with more than half of the particles of a size range allowing for phagocytosis, an osteolytic process that occurs when macrophage cells are unable to safely digest foreign material.
3. Titan Spine's proprietary implant surface technology combines roughened topographies at the macro, micro and cellular levels created by a subtractive process. The surface topographies are designed to create an optimal host-bone response and actively participate in the fusion process.
4. Titan Spine will launch its next-generation nanoLOCK surface that features various topographies at the macro, micro and nano levels this year.
"In contrast to the surface-etched implants, the titanium-coated PEEK implants lost some coating material," concluded the study authors. "This was visible to the naked eye. More than half of all particles were of a size range that allows phagocytosis. The study shows that titanium-coated implants are susceptible to impaction-related wear debris."