DETECTION OF TITANIUM IN HUMAN TISSUES AFTER CRANIOFACIAL SURGERY

Generally, titanium fixation plates are not removed after osteosynthes is, because they have high biocompatability and high corrosion resista nce characteristics. Experiments with laboratory animals, and limited studies of analyses of human tissues, have reported evidence of titani um release into local and distant tissues. This study summarizes our r esults of the analysis of soft tissues for titanium in four patients w ith titanium microfixation plates. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis, s canning electron microscopy, and electrothermal atomic absorption spec trophotometry were used to detect trace amounts of titanium in surroun ding soft tissues. A single metal inclusion was detected by scanning e lectron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis in one patient , whereas, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry analyses revealed titanium present in three of four specimens in levels rangin g from 7.92 to 31.8 mu g/gm of dry tissue. Results from this study rev ealed trace amounts of titanium in tissues surrounding craniofacial pl ates. At the atomic level, electrothermal atomic absorption spectropho tometry appears to be a sensitive tool to quantitatively detect ultra- trace amounts of metal in human tissue.