Abstract
The evolution of dog femur bone implanted in vivo with either steel or with a metal alloy (zinalco), was compared at different time-periods ≤9 months. Bone behavior was studied by radiology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and it was shown that zinalco corroded whereas the steel remained unaltered in the presence of body fluids. Small amounts of metal ions were released continuously, promoting disordered bone growth enriched with organic tissue. After 9 months, the organism managed to compensate for this effect and the proportion of mineral to organic tissue resulted in being normal, although it was unable to correct the shape and the direction of the growth. (Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Biomechanics 2004; 2: 112–9)
