[Publications & Reports]
The wear properties of CFR-PEEK-OPTIMA articulating against ceramic assessed on a multidirectional pin-on-plate machine
Tribologists from Durham University, England have performed tests on a multidirectional pin-on-plate machine to determine the wear of both pitch and polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibre-polyetheretherketone (CFR-PEEK-OPTIMA) pins articulating against both BioLox Delta and BioLox Forte plates (ceramic materials). Although all four material combinations gave similar low wear with no statistically significant difference (p > 0.25), the lowest average total wear of these pin-on-plate tests was provided by CFR-PEEK-OPTIMA pitch pins versus BioLox Forte plates.
Polyetheretherketone as a biomaterial for spinal applications
Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin have evaluated a radiolucent polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-threaded interbody fusion device packed with autograft or rhBMP-2 on an absorbable collagen sponge in 13 sheep at 6 months. Only mild chronic inflammation consisting of a few macrophages was observed in peri-implant tissues. Based on these results, the polymeric biomaterial PEEK may be a useful biomaterial for interbody fusion cages due to the polymer's increased radiolucency and decreased stiffness.
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