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Biomechanical, histological, and ultrastructural analyses of laser micro‐ and nano‐structured titanium alloy implants: A study in rabbit
Author(s) -
Palmquist Anders,
Lindberg Fredrik,
Emanuelsson Lena,
Brånemark Rickard,
Engqvist Håkan,
Thomsen Peter
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.32439
Subject(s) - materials science , titanium alloy , implant , biomedical engineering , titanium , rabbit (cipher) , transmission electron microscopy , laser , osseointegration , microscopy , biomaterial , alloy , composite material , metallurgy , nanotechnology , surgery , optics , medicine , pathology , statistics , physics , mathematics
The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical properties and ultrastructure of the bone response of partly laser‐modified Ti6Al4V implants compared with turned, machined implants after 8 weeks in rabbit. The surface analyses performed with interference microscopy and electron microscopy showed increased surface topography with micro‐ and nano‐sized surface features as well as increased oxide thickness of the modified surface. The biomechanical testing demonstrated a 270% increase in torque value for the surface modified implants compared with the control implants. Histological evaluation of ground sections of specimens subjected to biomechanical testing revealed ongoing bone formation and remodeling. A histological feature exclusively observed at the laser‐modified surface was the presence of fracture in the mineralized bone rather than at the interface between the bone and implant. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on Focused Ion Beam (FIB) prepared samples of the intact bone‐implant interface, demonstrating a direct contact between nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and the oxide of the laser‐modified implant surface. In conclusion, laser‐modified titanium alloy implants have significantly stronger bone anchorage compared with machined implants and show no adverse tissue reactions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 2010