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Porous tantalum in spinal surgery: an overview

  • General Review • FUSION - DEVICE
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European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Porous tantalum is an open-cell metal structure that approximates the appearance of human cancellous bone. It has a low modulus of elasticity, close to that of subchondral and cancellous bones, leading to better load transfer and minimizing the stress-shielding phenomenon. Its coefficient of friction is one of the highest among biomaterials, allowing for sufficient primary stabilization of implants, possibly even without screw fixation. Different fusion rates have been achieved in anterior cervical fusion, which lead to contradictory views among spine surgeons. However, in the lumbar spine, trabecular metal has been demonstrated to be effective in obtaining fusion and improving patient outcomes after anterior as well as posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

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None of the authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University Clinical Centre Maribor, Ljubljanska 5, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia

    Marko Hanc, Samo Karel Fokter, Matjaž Vogrin, Andrej Molicnik & Gregor Recnik

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  1. Marko Hanc
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  2. Samo Karel Fokter
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  3. Matjaž Vogrin
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  4. Andrej Molicnik
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  5. Gregor Recnik
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Correspondence to Gregor Recnik.

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Hanc, M., Fokter, S.K., Vogrin, M. et al. Porous tantalum in spinal surgery: an overview. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 26, 1–7 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-015-1654-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-015-1654-x

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