Abstract:

BACKGROUND: In spite of some good successes of nickel-titanium alloy have been achieved in orthopaedic surgery, there are still serious limitations in clinical application, such as potential leakage of elements and ions, which could be toxic to cells, tissues and organs.
OBJECTIVE: To review the research progress and the exiting problems of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy in orthopaedics and to provide theoretical supports for safe use of the alloy in clinical practice.
METHODS: A computer-based online search of Springerlink and CNKI was performed for articles published between 2003 and 2010 both in Chinese and English. The search was conducted respectively with the key words of “nickel-titanium shape memory alloy (NiTi-SMA), biocompatibility, modifications, orthopaedics”. Researches regarding nickel-titanium shape memory alloy and its properties, clinical applications, corrosion performance, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance by surface/structure modifications and the long-term challenges were included. Irrelevant or repetitive articles were excluded.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Nickel-titanium shape memory alloy has special value in medical field due to favorable shape-memory and superelasticity. However, due to the nickel toxicity, it is of great importance to elevate corrosion resistance of nickel-titanium alloy. The modifications of the alloy are the main focus and direction for further research.