Christopher Chaput, MD, the director of spinal trauma and orthopedic research at Temple, Texas-based Scott & White Medical Center, offered a biological perspective on surface treatments for spinal implants in an article in Spine.
Here are four things to know.
1. When considering implant material, titanium is especially conducive to osseointegration. While it was once thought that the titanium surface becomes nonreactive when it oxidizes in the body, recent data suggests that a chemical reaction between oxidized titanium and calcium phosphate is possible. This reaction is responsible for osseointegration.
2. Osseointegration can be enhanced by altering roughness or coating titanium with a ceramic such as hydroxyapatite. Research suggests, however, that the nanosurface of the implant is more important than the material's crystal structure and other surface pretreatments.
3. Tensile strain transmitted to an osteoblast adhering to the surface of an implant can promote the production of bone morphogenetic protein.
4. Interbody implants are being designed with the principles of nanosurface technology in mind.
More articles on surface technology:
4Web Medical's truss technology exceeds 30k implants: 5 things to know
6 things to know about full commercial launch of CoreLink's Foundation 3D Interbody Cage Systems
3 things to know about spinal implant nanotechnology surface selection