This study was to investigate the nanomechanical and nanotribological properties of polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-based composites for biomedical applications and to gain a fundamental understanding of the effects of carbon fibers in carbon-fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFRPEEK) on the mechanical properties and wear performance in a microscale. Nanoindentation tests with a Berkovich indenter and nanos...

BACKGROUND There is active debate amongst surgeons regarding best available method for cervical inter-body fusion. This study evaluates success of disc replacement with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage in patients operated for cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy. METHODS This case series was conducted between 2008 and 2012 during which 151 patients were treated with cervical inter-body fusio...

The reliable assembly of poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) and carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK) is crucial to effective load transfer within lightweight high-stiffness structures, which are commonly demanded in aeronautical, automobile, medical industries. In this work, laser transmission welding CFR-PEEK has been performed by using a 1070 nm Nd:YAG fiber laser. effects process parameters i...

Radiation therapy, in conjunction with surgical implant fixation, is a common combined treatment in cases of bone metastases. However, metal implants generally used in orthopedic implants perturb radiation dose distributions. Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Polyetheretherketone (CFR-PEEK) material has been recently introduced for production of intramedullary nails and plates. The purpose of this work w...

Bioactivity and biocompatibility are crucial for tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAP) was incorporated into polyetheretherketone/polyglycolicacid (PEEK/PGA) hybrid to improve its biological properties, and the composite scaffolds were developed via selective laser sintering (SLS). The effects of HAP on physical and chemical properties of the composite scaffolds were...

In recent years, the synthetic polymer polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has increasingly been used in a number of orthopedic implementations, due to its excellent mechanical properties, bioinertness, and chemical resistance. For in vivo applications, the surface of PEEK, which does not naturally support cell adhesion, has to be modified to improve tissue integration. In the present work we demonstra...

BACKGROUND Titanium (TTN) cages have a higher modulus of elasticity when compared with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages. This suggests that TTN-cages could show more frequent cage subsidence after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and therefore might lead to a higher loss of correction. We compared the long term results of stand-alone PEEK- and TTN-cages in a comparable patient co...

PEEK-OPTIMA™ (Invibio Ltd, UK) has been considered as an alternative joint arthroplasty bearing material due to its favourable mechanical properties and the biocompatibility of its wear debris. In this study, the potential to use injection moulded PEEK-OPTIMA™ as an alternative to cobalt chrome in the femoral component of a total knee replacement was investigated in terms of its wear performanc...

Extensive maxillofacial defects resulting from trauma or oncologic resection present reconstructive challenges. Various autografts and alloplastic materials in conjunction with standard soft-tissue techniques have been used in the reconstruction of these types of defects. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a semicrystalline polyaromatic linear polymer exhibiting an excellent combination of strength...

Back and radicular pain is the leading cause of activity and productivity loss amongst adults of any age in the United States [Ref. 1]. In many cases, surgical intervention is required, including at least 5,000 interbody spinal fusion cages implanted each month in the U.S. alone [Ref. 2]. The total U.S. market for spinal fusion implants was valued at nearly $4 billion in 2008 [Ref. 3]. Interbod...