Increased content of metal ion in blood and tissue around implanted device in children with scoliosis
TUESDAY, April 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Implantation of sliding growth guidance instrumentation LSZ-4D, made from titanium alloy Ti6A14V, is associated with increased content of Ti and V ions in the blood and in the tissues around the device, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.
Elena Lukina, Ph.D., from Kingston University London, and colleagues measured the content of metal ions in the blood and tissues surrounding the implanted growth guidance sliding LSZ-4D device in a case-control retrospective study. The study group included 25 children with scoliosis with high growth potential who had sliding growth guidance instrumentation implanted on 13 spine levels. They were compared with a control group of 13 patients without any implanted devices.
The researchers found that five of the 25 patients in the study group developed metallosis-associated complications. Two of these patients underwent revisions. Ninety percent of patients in the study group had increased Ti and V ion content in the blood. In soft tissues adjacent to implanted sliding device, the median content of Ti ions was more than 1,500-fold higher than that of the control group.
“Our findings imply that either the use of wear-resistant coatings on titanium alloy sliding devices or the use of a different material for such instrumentation would be beneficial,” the authors write.
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