Interface analysis of titanium and zirconium bone implants.

A thin layer of titanium or zirconium was evaporated onto the surface of a plastic implant which was then inserted in the rabbit tibial metaphysis for six months. The implants and surrounding bone were cut out en bloc and sectioned for phase contrast microscopy, scanning- and transmission-electron microscopy. The intact bone-to-metal interface in the case of titanium revealed a fibrous tissue-free boundary zone with a 200-400 A thick proteoglycan coat immediately adjacent to the titanium oxide. Thereafter collagen filaments were seen and, at approximately 1000 A from the interface, collagen bundles. The tissues surrounding the zirconium-coated implant consisted of a 300-500 A thick proteoglycan layer, followed by a zone with collagen filaments and collagen bundles, not closer to the zirconium oxide than a few thousand A.