Clinical experience of Al2O3 ceramics as a surgical implant.

The authors have treated 75 patients with various orthopaedic disorders including trauma, degenerative joint disease and tumours with ceramic surgical implants. A short account of the experience gained, together with some illustrative clinical cases is presented. Supplementary laboratory experiments have shown that Al2O3 ceramic material produces minimal changes of boundary reaction with the bone and the material produced no adverse effect upon organ cultures of developing chick femora and tibiae.