Trabecular Metal™ Technology
The Best Thing Next to Bone™
Trabecular Metal
Technology
The Best Thing Next to Bone
When you need a hip, knee, shoulder
or spine implant, you want assurance
that your implant is made from the
highest quality material, and that
it’s as close to the real thing as
possible.
Implants today are made of many
materials, but there is only one
metal that acts most closely like
healthy bone:1,2 Zimmer® Trabecular
Metal Technology. Trabecular Metal
implants are, quite simply, The Best
Thing Next to Bone™.
What is Trabecular Metal Material?
There are 206 bones in the adult human body.
Although they give the appearance of being rock
solid, bones are actually complex living tissue,
composed of five primary parts:
Compact Bone is the hard, strong, solid outer
layer, which gives bones their whitish color.
Periosteum – Located on the top, surface layer
of the compact bone, the periosteum is a thin
membrane containing the nerves and blood
vessels that provide nourishment and sensation to
bone tissue.
Cancellous (Spongy) Bone – Located inside the
hard outer layer, cancellous bone looks like a
sponge and contains bone marrow. It is made up
of a mesh-like network of tiny pieces of bone
called trabeculae.
Bone Marrow – Found in many bones, bone
marrow is located inside the cancellous bone an
makes most of your red and white blood cells
and platelets.
Subchondral Bone is the smooth tissue at the
ends of bones, which is covered with cartilage.
Named after the trabeculae found in the inside
layer of your bones, Zimmer Trabecular Metal
material resembles natural bone in appearance and
dynamics: it is extremely strong yet flexible, and
very porous, resembling a sponge. Years of
scientific research and clinical results show
that Trabecular Metal Technology is truly
The Best Thing Next to Bone.
What is the advantage of
Trabecular Metal Technology
over other joint replacement
materials?
In addition to being the orthopaedic metal
that more closely resembles the physical and
mechanical properties of healthy bone, Zimmer
Trabecular Metal Technology has been clinically
shown to have several advantages over other
implant materials:
•
Greater initial stability.
•
Greater flexibility – it moves with the bone more naturally than other orthopaedic
implant materials.
•
Allows rapid and extensive bone in-growth1,3
Why is bone in-growth important?
Joint and spine surgery and bone replacement
involves removing or resurfacing damaged
surfaces and restoring them with artificial implants.
Implants are secured to human bone in one of two
ways – they are either cemented (cement is used
to secure the implant to the bone) or cementless
(natural human bone grows into, or heals directly
to, the artificial implant). Several factors determine
which method is used; most notably the quality of
the natural bone to which the implant must adhere.
Trabecular Metal Implants have the porosity and
structure that allows for extensive bone in-growth,
which creates a bond between the implant and the
bone, and eliminates the need for bone cement.
For patients who have acceptable bone quality,
cementless techniques are the preferable way
to attach implants to existing human bone.
Why is porosity important
in an implant?
Bone is living tissue that grows into your implant,
incorporating it into your body. The more porous
the implant material – in other words, the more
nooks and crannies – the more space is available
for bone to grow in and secure the implant.
Whereas other materials used for orthopaedic
implants are only 35 percent to 50 percent
porous, Trabecular Metal material is 75-80
percent porous1,2,3.
Sintered Beads (35-50% porous)
Fiber Metal Mesh (35-50% porous)
Trabecular Metal Technology (75-80% porous)
Why is flexibility important?
Although sturdy, healthy human bone has a certain
degree of flexibility to withstand the body’s weight,
and daily wear and tear. Trabecular Metal Implants
possess flexibility similar to bone, whereas other
implant materials are far more rigid. Studies have
indicated that implant materials that don’t flex
well can cause bones to recede and lose
strength over time5,6,7.
How is Trabecular Metal
Material used?
Trabecular Metal material is used in hundreds of
hip, knee, shoulder and spine implants. Zimmer, a
global leader in orthopaedics, is the only company
that offers this material.
Whereas other porous joint replacement materials
can only be coated or sprayed onto orthopaedic
implants, Trabecular Metal material can be used
to create an entire implant. This material also may
be infused or bonded to other types of implants
in the areas that come in contact with your natural
bone, to allow bone in-growth.
Trabecular Metal Implants are placed by
orthopaedic surgeons via traditional joint
replacement surgery and Zimmer’s less-invasive
Minimally Invasive Solutions™ (MIS™) techniques.
For additional information, please visit:
www.zimmer.com
To learn more about Zimmer orthopaedic implants
and procedures, or to find a surgeon, call toll free:
or visit
1-877-447-5634
www.pacewithlife.com
A global leader in the provision of high-quality, hands-on
education and training for orthopaedic surgeons.
97-2100-710-00 10ML Printed in USA ©2006 Zimmer, Inc.
1 JD Bobyn, SA Hacking, JJ Krygier, SP Chan, KK Toh, M Tanzer,
“Characterization of a New Porous Tantalum Biomaterial for
Reconstructive Surgery”, 66th Annual AAOS, Anaheim, CA,
Feb 4-8, 1999. Scientific exhibit.
2 DA Shimko, VF Shimko, EA Sander, KF Dickson, EA Nauman,
“Effect of Porosity on the Fluid Flow Characteristics and Mechanical
Properties of Tantalum Scaffolds”, published on-line February 2005
in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
3 JD Bobyn, GJ Stackpool, SA Hacking, M Tanzer, JJ Krygier,
“Characteristics of Bone In-Growth and Interface Mechanics of a New
Porous Tantalum Biomaterial”, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
(British), Sep 1999, 81-B No. 5, pp 907-914.
5 CL Levitz, PA Lotke, JS Karp, “Long-Term Changes in Bone Mineral
Density Following Total Knee Replacement”, Clinical Orthopaedics
and Related Research, 1995, No. 321, pp 68-72.
6 P Korovessis, G Piperos, A Michael, “Periprosthetic Bone Mineral
Density After Mueller and Zweymueller Total Hip Arthroplasties”,
Clinical Orthopeadics and Related Research, 1994, No. 309,
pp 214-221.
7 JJ Rawlinson, TM Wright, DL Bartel, “Finite Element Analysis of a
Porous Tantalum Monoblock Tibia Compared with a Metal-Backed
Tibial Component”, 51st Annual ORS, Washingtion, DC, Feb 20-23,
2005. Scientific exhibit.