Abstract
BackgroundIn recent years magnesium alloys have been intensively investigated as potential resorbable materials with appropriate mechanical and corrosion properties. Particularly in orthopedic research magnesium is interesting because of its mechanical properties close to those of natural bone, the prevention of both stress shielding and removal of the implant after surgery.MethodsZEK100 plates were examined in this in vitro study with Hank's Balanced Salt Solution under physiological conditions with a constant laminar flow rate. After 14, 28 and 42 days of immersion the ZEK100 plates were mechanically tested via four point bending test. The surfaces of the immersed specimens were characterized by SEM, EDX and XRD.ResultsThe four point bending test displayed an increased bending strength after 6 weeks immersion compared to the 2 week group and 4 week group. The characterization of the surface revealed the presence of high amounts of O, P and Ca on the surface and small Mg content. This indicates the precipitation of calcium phosphates with low solubility on the surface of the ZEK100 plates.ConclusionsThe results of the present in vitro study indicate that ZEK100 is a potential candidate for degradable orthopedic implants. Further investigations are needed to examine the degradation behavior.
Highlights
In recent years magnesium alloys have been intensively investigated as potential resorbable materials with appropriate mechanical and corrosion properties
The results of the present in vitro study indicate that ZEK100 is a potential candidate for degradable orthopedic implants
New innovative magnesium alloys are being intensively investigated as potential resorbable materials with appropriate mechanical and corrosion properties
Summary
Material In this study plates for bone fixation of a biodegradable magnesium alloy were examined. These screw holes have an inner diameter of 3 mm on the bone-side and a counterbore diameter of 5 mm (Figure 1). Theses analyses included an energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) to detect the distribution of elements on the surface of the corroded specimens and on the cross-section area of the plates. After passing the ZEK100 alloys the solution was discarded (Figure 2). In this study twelve ZEK100 plate demonstrators, divided into 3 groups with 4 demonstrators, were corroded and tested. 10 mm distance was Figure 2 Picture of the in vitro corrosion testing setup. 3: HBSS passes the test system with the specimens with a laminar flow rate of 2.5 to 3.5 ml/min Temperature is checked with a thermometer. The distance between the outer and inner rollers was 11 mm and contains a screw hole of the demonstrators. The test rig was produced by the Research Work Shop of the Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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