赵阳　李亮　王志强

Objective:

To review the characteristics of metal porous tantalum and its application in arthrodesis.

Methods:

Recent literatures concerning the characteristics of porous tantalum and its application in arthrodesis were retrieved from China National Knowledge Internet ( CNKI ) and PubMed databases.

Results:

Porous tantalum was a kind of metal with low elastic modulus, whose appearance was similar to that of cancellous bone. Recently, it had been widely applied in the orthopaedic field, inluding hip replacement and knee replacement, spine surgery, bone graft substitutes and arthrodesis. Porous tantalum could be attached by a great quantity of bones and soft tissues quickly, with a high volumetric porosity of 70%-80%, good mechanical characteristics, biocompatibility and biological activity and excellent growth characteristics of bone and soft tissues. At present, satisfactory outcomes could be achieved in the clinical application of porous tantalum for hip and knee injuries. Furthermore, with the development of medicine, porous tantalum could be applied in the treatment of other joint injuries.

Conclusions:

Good mechanical stability and early surgical outcomes can be obtained by porous tantalum material in arthrodesis.