Short-term evaluation of carbon-coated and uncoated porous titanium implants

Abstract A mechanical and histologic evaluation of porous-coated titanium implants was undertaken. Implants having porous coatings 0·5, 1·0 and 1·5 mm in thickness were evaluated by placement in the femora of adult mongrel dogs. Both uncoated and ultra-low temperature isotropic carbon-coated implants were examined after 3 and 6 weeks in situ. Short-term mechanical push-out testing results indicate that there is no advantage to using a porous-coating layer greater than 1·0 mm in thickness. There were no significant differences in comparing the mechanical testing data from the uncoated and carbon-coated 0·5 mm implants. Histological sections showed incomplete ingrowth of bone in a number of implants with either 1·0 or 1·5 mm porous-layer coatings, confirming that there is no advantage to increasing the porous layer greater than 1·0 mm.