IMPLANT MATERIALS IN ORTHOPAEDICS BY TELLA A.O NOHD, KANO 18 TH JULY, 2013
OUTLINE INTRODUCTION BASIC CONCEPTS/DEFINITIONS COMMON ORTHOPAEDIC IMPLANT MATERIALS & CLINICAL APPLICATIONS GENERAL TISSUE-IMPLANT RESPONSES COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPLANTS RECENT ADVANCES CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION Implants are biomaterial devices Essential in the practice of orthopaedics A biomaterial is any substance or combination of substances (other than a drug), synthetic or natural in origin, that can be used for any period of time as a whole or part of a system that treats, augments or replaces any tissue, organ or function of the body
BASIC CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS STRESS: The force applied per unit cross-sectional area of the body or a test piece (N/mm² ) STRAIN: The change in length (mm) as a fraction of the original length (mm) - relative measure of deformation of the body or a test piece as a result of loading
STRESS-STRAIN CURVE
DEFINITIONS YOUNG’S MODULUS OF ELASTICITY: The stress per unit strain in the linear elastic portion of the curve (1N/m² = 1Pascal) DUCTILITY: The ability of the material to undergo a large amount of plastic deformation before failure e.g metals BRITTLENESS: The material displays elastic behaviour right up to failure e.g ceramics
DEFINITIONS STRENGTH: The degree of resistance to deformation of a material - Strong if it has a high tensile strength FATIGUE FAILURE: The failure of a material with repetitive loading at stress levels below the ultimate tensile strength NOTCH SENSITIVITY: The extent to which sensitivity of a material to fracture is increased by cracks or scratches
DEFINITIONS ULTIMATE TENSILE STRESS: The maximum amount of stress the material can withstand before which fracture is imminent TOUGHNESS: Amount of energy per unit volume that a material can absorb before failure ROUGHNESS: Measurement of a surface finish of a material HOOKE’S LAW → Stress α Strain produced - The material behaves like a spring
BONE BIOMECHANICS Bone is anisotropic; - it’s elastic modulus depends on direction of loading - weakest in shear, then tension, then compression Bone is also viscoelastic → the stress-strain characteristics depend on the rate of loading Bone density changes with age, disease, use and disuse WOLF’S LAW → Bone remodelling occurs along the line of stress
IDEAL IMPLANT MATERIAL Chemically inert Non-toxic to the body Great strength High fatigue resistance Low Elastic Modulus Absolutely corrosion-proof Good wear resistance Inexpensive
COBALT CHROME ALLOYS Contains primarily cobalt (30-60%) Chromium (20-30%) added to improve corrosion resistance Minor amounts of carbon, nickel and molybdenum added
COBALT CHROME ALLOYS Advantages: 1. Excellent resistance to corrosion 2. Excellent long-term biocompatibility 3. Strength (very strong) Disadvantages: 1. Very high Young’s modulus - Risk of stress shielding 2. Expensive
YOUNG’S MODULUS AND DENSITY OF COMMON BIOMATERIALS MATERIAL YOUNG’S MODULUS ( GPa ) DENSITY (g/cm ³) Cancellous bone 0.5-1.5 - UHMWPE 1.2 - PMMA bone cement 2.2 - Cortical bone 7-30 2.0 Titanium alloy 110 4.4 Stainless steel 190 8.0 Cobalt chrome 210 8.5
CERAMICS Compounds of metallic elements e.g Aluminium bound ionically or covalently with nonmetallic elements Common ceramics include: - Alumina ( aluminium oxide) - Silica (silicon oxide) - Zirconia (Zirconium oxide) - Hydroxyapatite (HA)
CERAMICS Advantages: 1. Chemically inert & insoluble 2. Best biocompatibility 3. Very strong 4. Osteoconductive Disadvantages: 1. Brittleness 2. Very difficult to process – high melting point 3. Very expensive
CERAMICS Used for femoral head component of THR - Not suitable for stem because of its brittleness Used as coating for metal implants to increase biocompatibility e.g HA
POLYMERS Consists of many repeating units of a basic sequence (monomer) Used extensively in orthopaedics Most commonly used are: - Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA, Bone cement) - Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)
PMMA (BONE CEMENT) Mainly used to fix prosthesis in place - can also be used as void fillers Available as liquid and powder The liquid contains: → The monomer N,N- dimethyltoluidine (the accelerator) → Hydroquinone (the inhibitor)
PMMA The powder contains: - PMMA copolymer - Barium or Zirconium oxide (radio- opacifier ) - Benzoyl peroxide (catalyst) Clinically relevant stages of cement reaction: 1. Sandy stage 2. Mixture appears stringy 3. Cement is doughy 4. Cement is hard
UHMWPE A polymer of ethylene with MW of 2-6million Used for acetabular cups in THR prostheses Metal on polyethylene is gold standard bearing surface in THR (high success rate) Osteolysis produced due to polyethylene wear debris causes aseptic loosening
BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS Ex; Polyglycolic acid, Polylactic acid, copolymers As stiffness of polymer decreases, stiffness of callus increases Hardware removal not necessary (reduces morbidity and cost) Used in phalangeal fractures with good results
GENERAL TISSUE-IMPLANT RESPONSES All implant materials elicit some response from the host The response occurs at tissue-implant interface Response depend on many factors; - Type of tissue/organ; - Mechanical load - Amount of motion - Composition of the implant - Age of patient
TISSUE-IMPLANT RESPONSES There are 4 types of responses (Hench & Wilson, 1993) 1. Toxic response: - Implant material releases chemicals that kill cells and cause systemic damage 2. Biologically nearly inert: - Most common tissue response - Involves formation of nonadherent fibrous capsule in an attempt to isolate the implant - Implant may be surrounded by bone
TISSUE-IMPLANT RESPONSES - Can lead to fibrous encapsulation - Depend on whether implant has smooth surface or porous/threaded surface - Ex; metal alloys, polymers, ceramics 3. Dissolution of implant: - Resorbable implant are degraded gradually over time and are replaced by host tissues - Implant resorption rate need to match tissue-repair rates of the body
TISSUE-IMPLANT RESPONSES - Ex; Polylactic and polyglycolic acid polymers which are metabolized to CO2 & water 4. Bioactive response: - Implant forms a bond with bone via chemical reactions at their interface - Bond involves formation of hydroxyl- carbonate apatite (HCA) on implant surface creating what is similar to natural interfaces between bones and tendons and ligaments - Ex; hydroxyapatite-coating on implants
COMPLICATIONS Aseptic Loosening: - Caused by osteolysis from body’s reaction to wear debris Stress Shielding: - Implant prevents bone from being properly loaded Corrosion : - Reaction of the implant with its environment resulting in its degradation to oxides/hydroxides
COMPLICATIONS Infection: - colonization of implant by bacteria and subsequent systemic inflammatory response Metal hypersensitivity Manufacturing errors VARIOUS FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO IMPLANT FAILURE
RECENT ADVANCES Aim is to use materials with mechanical properties that match those of the bone Modifications to existing materials to minimize harmful effects - Ex; nickel-free metal alloys Possibility of use of anti-cytokine in the prevention of osteolysis around implants Antibacterial implant
CONCLUSION Adequate knowledge of implant materials is an essential platform to making best choices for the patient No completely satisfying results from use of existing implant materials Advances in biomedical engineering will go a long way in helping the orthopedic surgeon The search is on…
THANK YOU
REFERENCES Manoj Ramachandran et al. Basic Orthopaedic Sciences-The Stanmore Guide. 1 st ed. Hodder Arnold 2007; Ch.17&18, pp 147-163. Paul A. Banaszkiewicz et al. Postgraduate orthopaedics -The candidate’s guide. Cambridge University Press 2009; Ch.24, pp 489-494. S. Raymond Golish and William M. Mihalko . Principles of Biomechanics and Biomaterials in Orthopaedic Surgery. J Bone Joint Surg (Am). 2011;93:207-12. Philip H. Long. Medical Devices in orthopedic Applications. Journal of Toxicologic Pathology 2008;36:85-91 . Matthew J. Silva and Linda J. Sandell . What’s New in Orthopedic Research. J Bone Joint Surg (Am). 2002; vol 84-A;8: 1490-96.