Metallographic Examination of Medical Implants
Medical technology has developed many new devices that can be implanted into humans (in-vivo) to repair, assist or take the place of diseased or defective bones, arteries and even organs. The materials used for these devices have evolved steadily over the past fifty years with titanium and cobalt-based alloys replacing stainless steels. Metallographic examination has become an indispensable tool in the testing, quality control, failure studies and post-mortem analyses of these devices. This paper presents techniques and results for examination of titanium-based acetabular cups and Co-Cr-Mo femoral hip stems and knees. These implants have porous metallic coatings on one side to enhance bone/metal interface adhesion by in-growth of bone into the porous coatings. By George Vander Voort