Fatigue life improvement of nitrogen-ion-implanted pedicle screws.

An experimental study of the fatigue life of pedicle screws and their nitrogen-ion-implanted counterparts was conducted. Nitrogen-ion implantation parameters were varied in the first part of the study to obtain the best implantation characteristics. Using this optimal parameter for N(+)-implantation, the performance of two matched groups were compared at two bending moments near the "knee" of the S-N curves. At 3.96 N-m and 5.09 N-m of applied bending moments, the increase in the mean fatigue life for the former was 98% and for the latter 20%. The 98% prolongation was statistically significant at P less than 0.005; however, the 20% increase was statistically insignificant (P less than 0.1). The implantation depth is about 0.1 mu in the near surface of the screw. This appears to be thick enough to inhibit crack initiation at 3.96 N-m, but only marginally at 5.09 N-m. Increasing the implantation depth has the potential of increasing the fatigue life at the higher bending moments.