[Experimental studies of titanium fiber metal implant for spine fusion]

For use as a graft in spine fusion, a titanium fiber metal implant (TFMI) from a woven pure titanium wire 250 micron in diameter was studied for its mechanical properties and biological fixation. Compression testing showed that the failure stress and modulus of elasticity of our implant closely resembled those previously reported fiber metals. It was, furthermore found that the pore-size distribution and mechanical properties of our TMFI were less variable than those of the products from kinked-and-cut wires. Repetitive-loading test showed a low permanent strain rate for TFMI, even with loads much greater than the failure stress of the vertebral body. Histologically and biomechanically, sufficient biological fixation was observed in the TMFI implanted lumbar vertebrae of adult mongrel dogs. According to these favorable results, TFMI could be an excellent biomaterial for spine fusion.