Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Scanning Electron Microscopy Of The Bone Interface With Titanium, Titanium Alloy And Hydroxyapatite, R. D. Orr, J. D. De Bruijn, J. E. Davies

Cells and Materials

Screw implants of commercially pure titanium and titanium alloy together with rods of slip-cast dense hydroxyapatite were implanted transfemorally in young adult rats. The femora were harvested after fixation and freeze-fractured in liquid nitrogen to create two tissue fragments of each specimen. The first contained the implant while the second enabled examination of the tissue immediately adjacent to the implant. In all cases, the tissue abutting the implant was a cement line-like layer which separated the implant from the surrounding bone proper. Greater adherence of this interfacial tissue was demonstrated to hydroxyapatite samples compared with the titanium screws, while no …