Evaluation of a commercial, porous stainless steel as a prosthetic implant material.

In the course of evaluating various porous materials as candidates for prosthetic devices, a commercial stainless steel (316L) was found which was designed for porous filtration applications. Small bars (approximately to 3mm x 3mm x 20mm) were implanted in dog extremeties for periods of 10 to 15 weeks. The average tensile strength of the bone/(bone/metal) interface was found to be 0.975 kgf/mm2 (1380 psi) with no indication of variation with time of implantation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with X-ray energy dispersive (XRED) analysis indicates production of calcified bone in the bone/metal composite. Inherent strength and porosity characteristic combined with biocompatbility indicate that this commercially available meterial is a viable implant candidate for attachment to the skeletal system.