The biological response to titanium and titanium-aluminium-vanadium alloy particles. II. Long-term animal studies.

The long-term tissue reactions to particulate titanium and titanium-aluminium-vanadium alloy were investigated by the intra-articular injection of material into the knee joints of mice. The tissue response was studied over a period of 2 to 52 weeks. In general, both materials were well tolerated, there was no evidence of necrosis and only a slight thickening of the synovium occurred around particles. Multinucleated giant cells were only rarely seen and no palpable tumours formed in any animal at any site.