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Preliminary studies on the effects of direct current on the bone/porous implant interfaces

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Abstract

The effect of small direct current (∼8μA) upon the tensile strength of the interfacial union between porous metal and polymer implants (100–200 μm diam pores) and bone was studied in the femur of dogs.

The present results show that the electrical stimulation accelerates the rate of bony tissue growth into pores of the implants regardless of the nature of the materials tested. It is particularly exciting to find that the porous metal can be used as an electrode as well as an implant. This implies that an ordinary prosthesis made of metal can be made porous and the fixation time period can be shortened by the electrical stimulation. This has an enormous potential for all the direct fixation prostheses for rapid achievement of fixation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interdisciplinary Studies College of Engineering, Clemson University, 29631, Clemson, South Carolina

    J. B. Park, N. N. Salman, G. H. Kenner & A. F. von Recum

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  1. J. B. Park
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  2. N. N. Salman
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  3. G. H. Kenner
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  4. A. F. von Recum
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Park, J.B., Salman, N.N., Kenner, G.H. et al. Preliminary studies on the effects of direct current on the bone/porous implant interfaces. Ann Biomed Eng 8, 93–101 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02363173

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