The Corrosion of Surgical Implants

Abstract

A study of implant corrosion has been undertaken. The work fell into two parts, the first consisted of an examination of contact corrosion on approximately four hundred used implants. Further information on these implants was obtained from the vee conducted by Dr. J. T. Scales of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. The observations were then subjected to multi-variate statistical with two objects, to assess any factors which may lead to an increased incidence of corrosion and to discover if any factors lead to an increased rate of removal of implants. Several implants were then examined in the scanning electron microscope and a possible mechanism for contact corrosion of stainless steel implants is presented. The later part of the work is concerned with the in vitro testing of materials to assess their possible value in surgery. The effect of surface finish and cathodic activation on potentiostatic polarisation tests on stainless steel are described. Test procedures to evaluate the sensitivity of alloys to surface damage have been developed. Finally the significance of the results has been assessed and suggestions made for further research.