Bone Ingrowth to Ti Fibre Knit Block with High Deformability

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to develop a Ti fibre knit block without sintering, and to evaluate its deformability and new bone formation in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS A Ti fibre with a diameter of 150 μm was knitted to fabricate a Ti mesh tube. The mesh tube was compressed in a metal mould to fabricate porous Ti fibre knit blocks with three different porosities of 88%, 69%, and 50%. The elastic modulus and deformability were evaluated using a compression test. The knit block was implanted into bone defects of a rabbit's hind limb, and new bone formation was evaluated using micro computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis and histological analysis. RESULTS The knit blocks with 88% porosity showed excellent deformability, indicating potential appropriateness for bone defect filling. Although the porosities of the knit block were different, they indicated similar elastic modulus smaller than 1 GPa. The elastic modulus after deformation increased linearly as the applied compression stress increased. The micro-CT analysis indicated that in the block with 50% porosity new bone filled nearly all of the pore volume four weeks after implantation. In contrast, in the block with 88% porosity, new bone filled less than half of the pore volume even 12 weeks after implantation. The histological analysis also indicated new bone formation in the block. CONCLUSIONS The titanium fibre knit block with high porosity is potentially appropriate for bone defect filling, indicating good bone ingrowth after porosity reduction with applied compression.