Scanning electron microscopy-electron probe microanalysis study of the interface between apatite and wollastonite-containing glass-ceramic and rabbit tibia under load-bearing conditions after long-term implantation

Glass-ceramic implants containing oxy- and fluoroapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(O, F2)] and β-wollastonite (CaSiO3) were studied under load-bearing conditions in a segmental replacement model in the tibia of the rabbit. A 16-mm segment of the middle of the tibial shaft was resected at a point distal to the junction of the tibia and the fibula. The defect was replaced by a 15 mm-long hollow, cylindrical implant that was fixed by intramedullary nailing using Kirschner wire. The implants were 9 mm in diameter and 15 mm long bearing a central hole 3.05 mm in diameter. The rabbits used were killed 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, and 2 years after implantation. The interface between the bone and the glass-ceramic was investigated by scanning electron microscopy-electron-probe microanalysis (SEM-EPMA).