Material dependent fretting corrosion in spinal fusion devices: Evaluation of onset and long‐term response

Abstract

Posterior spinal fusion implants include number of interconnecting components, which are subjected to micromotion under physiological loading conditions inducing a potential for fretting corrosion. There is very little known about the fretting corrosion in these devices in terms of the minimum angular displacement (threshold) necessary to induce fretting corrosion or the amount of fretting corrosion that can arise during the life of the implant. Therefore, the first goal was to evaluate the threshold fretting corrosion in three anatomical orientations and second the long-term fretting corrosion for the three different material types of spinal implants under physiological loading conditions. In threshold test, axial rotation exhibited highest changes in open circuit potential (V in mV) and induced fretting currents (I in µA) for cobalt chrome (ΔV : 24.71 ± 5.53; ΔI : 4.03 ± 0.51) and stainless steel (ΔV : 28.21 ± 6.97; ΔI : 2.98 ± 0.42) constructs whereas it was flexion-extension for titanium constructs (ΔV : 4.51 ± 2.48; ΔI : 0.38 ± 0.12). Long-term test indicated that the titanium (V :101 ± 0.06; I : 0.07 ± 0.02) and cobalt chrome (V : 140.67 ± 0.04; I : 0.12 ± 0.05) constructs were more resistant to the fretting corrosion compared to stainless steel (V : -135.33 ± 0.31; I : 2.63 ± 1.06). © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2858-2868, 2018.

A review of recent advances in tribology

“…In additional to the articulating surfaces, the fixation interface which has not received enough attention previously, was also extensively considered [358,359] and also in conjunction with wear testing of the bearing surfaces [360]. Modular interfaces with fretting corrosion were increasingly studied at the hip [318, 361−363], the knee [364], and the spine [365,366] and for new materials combinations of PEEK and XLPE [367]. The contact between implant and bone was also an important consideration [368].…”

Emerging Issues Questioning the Current Treatment Strategies for Lumbar Disc Herniation

“…It is widely reported that Ti6Al4V is highly susceptible to fretting corrosion due to a mixed microstructure when the titania passivation layer is disrupted ( 122 ). In contrast to these findings, a long-term test showed that the titanium and cobalt chrome constructs are more resistant to fretting corrosion than stainless steel ( 123 ).…”

Fretting Wear in Orthodontic and Prosthetic Alloys with Ti(C, N) Coatings

“…Fretting can be accompanied by four basic mechanisms: adhesion, fatigue, abrasion, and corrosion. Adhesive damage to the surface and the formation of fatigue cracks causes the creation of wear particles, followed by their oxidation and hardening [8,9].…”

“…In the contact area, we also observe processes of materials' transfer with intensive oxidation [8]. The intensity of fretting depends on the type and value of the forcing applied to the joint, the value of the stresses with which it operates, and the aggressiveness of the environment [9].Cases of destruction through fretting have been established not only in elements of machines and constructions but also in orthopedic implants, as well as prosthetic, orthodontic, and artificial heart elements [11,13,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The fretting phenomenon refers to most biomaterials, both metallic ones and polymers and ceramics [24][25][26][27].…”

“…In the contact area, we also observe processes of materials' transfer with intensive oxidation [8]. The intensity of fretting depends on the type and value of the forcing applied to the joint, the value of the stresses with which it operates, and the aggressiveness of the environment [9].…”