Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound as a useful adjuvant during distraction osteogenesis: a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) was proven to have a positive impact on bone healing in animal and clinical studies.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized controlled trial the effect of LIPUS during distraction osteogenesis was investigated. Thirty-six patients who underwent distraction osteogenesis (>2 cm) were enrolled.

[Surface modification of metal implant materials by low-pressure plasma treatment].

Background: Plasma treatment leads to a significant change of surface free energy of medical implant materials. These changes strongly influence protein and cell adhesion on the material surface. The aim of the study was to quantify the plasma-induced surface changes and to analyse whether the change of treatment parameters, such as pressure, gas mixture, energy and treatment time, influences the surface free energy of the implant materials.

[A double inductively coupled low-pressure plasma for sterilization of medical implant materials].

The potential of plasma treatment in medicine is only slowly gaining acceptance. Inactivation of germs through exposure to UV radiation produced by plasma discharges and sterilization of medical implant devices and instruments is one possible application of this technique. In addition, due to the manifold possibilities of coating through plasma processes, quick sterilization-coating combinations of medical implant devices are possible.

Morphological characterization and in vitro biocompatibility of a porous nickel-titanium alloy.

Disks consisting of macroporous nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi, Nitinol, Actipore) are used as implants in clinical surgery, e.g. for fixation of spinal dysfunctions.

Inhibition of PMN apoptosis after adherence to dip-coated calcium phosphate surfaces on a NiTi shape memory alloy.

Nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys (NiTi-SMA) were coated with calcium phosphate by dipping in oversaturated calcium phosphate solution (CaP-coating). Polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) belong to the first cells which will adhere to implant materials. We analyzed the apoptosis of isolated human PMN after cell culture on non-coated and CaP-coated NiTi-SMA by light and scanning electron microscopy (cell morphology) and by flow cytometry (DNA-fragmentation).

Calcium phosphate coating of nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys. Coating procedure and adherence of leukocytes and platelets.

Nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys (NiTi-SMA) were coated with calcium phosphate by dipping in oversaturated calcium phosphate solution. The layer thickness (typically 5-20 micrometer) can be varied by choice of the immersion time. The porous nature of the layer of microcrystals makes it mechanically stable enough to withstand both the shape-memory transition upon cooling and heating and also strong bending of the material (superelastic effect).