PEEK-coated implants generate particulate debris upon impaction

1988

Data from a Titan Spine biomechanical study demonstrating that titanium coated polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants generate particulate debris during impaction into the disc space have been published in the print February 2016 issue of The Spine Journal.

Results of the study, “Does Impaction of Titanium-Coated Interbody Fusion Cages into the Disc Space Cause Wear Debris or Delamination?” were first published online as an accepted manuscript and subsequently announced by Titan Spine on October 9, 2015.

The study subjected both Titan’s Endoskeleton titanium interbody fusion devices and titanium-coated PEEK implants to a simulated biomechanical impaction process into the disc space. While the study demonstrated that the titanium implants featuring Titan’s unique surface technology showed no signs of impaction debris, it found 26% of the teeth on the titanium-coated PEEK implants lost coating material, with more than half of the particles of a size range allowing for phagocytosis, an osteolytic process that occurs when macrophage cells are unable to safely digest foreign material.

The full line of Endoskeleton devices features Titan Spine’s proprietary implant surface technology, consisting of a unique combination of roughened topographies at the macro, micro, and cellular levels created by a subtractive process. This combination of surface topographies is designed to create an optimal host-bone response, and actively participate in the fusion process by promoting the upregulation of osteogenic and angiogenic factors necessary for bone growth, encouraging natural production of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and creating the potential for a faster and more robust fusion.