What are the advantages of Bioabsorbable over Metal implants ?
Bio-absorbable implants have many advantages over metal implants, including:Load sharing versus stress shieldingEliminates the problem of leaving a permanent (metal) non-biologic implant in the bodyReduced risk of articular damage (refer to case study below)MRI compatible for Post-Op diagnosisReduce radiographic scatterMinimised risk of obstruction during revision surgery if requiredSafe and biocompatible material, no risk of metal allergic reactionsMinimised risk of stress risers normally associated with implant removal.As with all bioabsorbable implants, they biologically resorb over time, allowing the load to transfer to the bone after primary bone healing and eventually completely disappear through safe biological resorbtion.Bioabsorbable polymers are a special class of plastic materials that allow the material to serve a function, and then gradually break down, metabolise and be eliminated from the body. Thus eliminating the need for metal implants to me used during surgery.
