K. Merritt et Jj. Rodrigo, IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO SYNTHETIC MATERIALS - SENSITIZATION OF PATIENTS RECEIVING ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTS, Clinical orthopaedics and related research, (326), 1996, pp. 71-79
Metallic orthopaedic devices are composed of elements that are known t
o be skin sensitizers in the general population, There is concern abou
t the possibility of sensitivity reactions in patients bearing these i
mplants, Blood samples were drawn from 22 patients having primary tota
l joint replacement and who had no known prior metal allergies or expo
sure, Repeat blood samples were drawn 3 months to 1 year later All pre
operative blood samples showed no immune reactions against titanium, c
obalt, chromium, or nickel ion solutions in a leukocyte migration inhi
bition test, Thirty two percent (7 of 22) of the patients developed se
nsitivity to at least 1 of the antigens, but only 5 percent (1 of 22)
developed a severe reaction, Review of the literature and these studie
s has indicated that such reactions can occur, However, the incidence
seems to be very low.