Abstract
For patients suffering from allergies to nickel, chrome and cobalt, titanium implants are the implants of choice. Nevertheless, titanium implant sensitivity has been reported in the form of “allergies” and an increasing number of patients are confused. This paper aims to use spectral analysis as a diagnostic tool for analyzing different titanium implant alloys in order to determine the percentage of the alloy components and additions that are known to cause allergies. Different materials, such as sponge titanium, TiAl6Nb7, Ti21SRx, TiAl6V4 [forged alloy], TiAl6V4 [cast alloy], TMZF, pure titanium [c. p. 1] and iodide titanium were analyzed for the presence of the elements that have been associated with allergic reactions using spectral analysis. All the implant material samples contained traceable amounts of Be, Cd, Co, up to a maximum of 0.001 percent by weight [wt.%], Cr up to 0.033 wt.%, Cu up to 0.007 wt.%, Hf up to 0.035 wt.%, Mn up to 0.007 wt.%, Ni up to 0.031 wt.%, and Pd up to 0.001 wt.%. This paper demonstrates that all the investigated implant material samples contained a low but consistent percentage of components that have been associated with allergies. For example, low nickel contents are related to the manufacturing pro- cess and are completely dissolved in the titanium grid. Therefore, they can virtually be classified as “impurities”. Under certain circumstances, these small amounts may be sufficient to trigger allergic reactions in patients suffering from the corresponding allergies, such as a nickel, palladium or chrome allergy.
Highlights
Numerous studies on allergic reactions to synthetic materials have been carried out, in particular on allergic reactions to metallic components that are used in orthopedic surgery
All the titanium materials examined in the present study clearly showed consistently traceable amounts of additional components, such as nickel
Our results demonstrate that titanium materials contain a small yet consistent percentage of detectable impurities, such as the elements Al, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hf, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pd and V
Summary
Numerous studies on allergic reactions to synthetic materials have been carried out, in particular on allergic reactions to metallic components that are used in orthopedic surgery. In contrast to the sensitization ratio of up to 12 percent of the general population to nickel and of up to 5 percent to cobalt and chrome [24,32], only a few cases of allergies to implant materials have been documented. In case of a nickel allergy, individual responsiveness can be very diverse, with even minute quantities of nickel causing contact eczemas in sensitive patients [3,11,32]. Their high resistance to corrosion, the absence of any carcinogenic risk, their excellent bio-compatibility and their
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
