HISTOLOGY OF THE METAL BONE INTERFACE - INTERPRETATION OF PLASTIC-EMBEDDED SLIDES

The interference of processing and preparation of histological slides for the study of morphology and morphometry of bone-implant interfaces was investigated in an experimental model, in which a titanium plate was inserted through the cortical bone into the medullary cavity of ra t tibiae. The thickness of the sections, burr and notching of the cut border, and staining properties of the embedding resin were found to s ignificantly influence the appearance of the bone-implant interface an d, when morphometry was applied, the extent of direct bone-metal conta ct. The model of the interface resulting from this study is that of so me bony processes abutting on the metal surface, while most of the con tact is between metal and connective tissue or vascular spaces.