Peri- and intra-implant bone response to microporous Ti coatings with surface modification

• Published in: Acta biomaterialia 2014-02, Vol.10 (2), p.986-995
• Main Authors: Braem, Annabel, Chaudhari, Amol, Vivan Cardoso, Marcio, Schrooten, Jan, Duyck, Joke, Vleugels, Jozef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bioactive glass; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone ingrowth; Coated Materials, Biocompatible - pharmacology; Microporosity; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Porous Ti coatings; Prostheses and Implants; Rabbits; Surface functionalization; Surface Properties; Titanium - pharmacology
• ISSN: 1742-7061; 1878-7568
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2013.10.017

Bone growth on and into implants exhibiting substantial surface porosity is a promising strategy in order to improve the long-term stable fixation of bone implants. However, the reliability in clinical applications remains a point of discussion. Most attention has been dedicated to the role of macroporosity, leading to the general consensus of a minimal pore size of 50–100μm in order to allow bone ingrowth. In this in vivo study, we assessed the feasibility of early bone ingrowth into a predominantly microporous Ti coating with an average thickness of 150μm and the hypothesis of improving the bone response through surface modification of the porous coating. Implants were placed in the cortical bone of rabbit tibiae for periods of 2 and 4weeks and evaluated histologically and histomorphometrically using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Bone with osteocytes encased in the mineralized matrix was found throughout the porous Ti coating up to the coating/substrate interface, highlighting that osseointegration of microporosities (