Claims
- 1. A method for improving the osteointegration of an osseous fixing implant comprising:a) cleaning and passivating the implant through acid attack in an ultrasound bath; b) introducing the implant and a coating material of CaUPVHXOYCZ, where subscripts u, v, x, y, and z are natural numbers including zero with variable stoichiometry, into a first vacuum chamber; c) introducing into the first vacuum chamber an atmosphere used in a deposition process, said atmosphere comprising argon, water vapor, oxygen, or mixtures thereof; d) irradiating the coating material with ultraviolet photons (λ=193 nm) provided by an ArF excimer laser by introducing into the first vacuum chamber a laser beam through a window in said first chamber, wherein the window is transparent to said beam resulting in application of the coating material onto the implant surface; e) conveying the implant by means of a vacuum control system to a second vacuum chamber which contains a container; f) exposing the container and the implant in the second vacuum chamber to ultraviolet radiation to sterilize the container as well as the implant; g) introducing the implant into the sterilized container; and h) sealing the container with the implant inside to obtain a sterilized vacuum assembly.
- 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first vacuum chamber is provided with a rotating means for holding the implant.
- 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an electric field is established between the coating material and the implant.
- 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning and passivating comprise:a) cleaning with ketone in an ultrasound bath for 8 minutes; b) cleaning with deionized water; c) cleaning with HNO3 with a 5% content, in an ultrasound bath for 8 minutes; d) cleaning with deionized water; and e) cleaning with methanol; wherein all of the above processes are conducted at normal pressure and temperature conditions.
- 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising subjecting the implant to be coated to ultraviolet radiation during at least one of the time periods before and after introducing an atmosphere, said radiation being produced either by a laser beam, a mercury lamp, a silent discharge excimer lamp, or any other ultraviolet radiation source such that the whole implant surface gets sterilized and chemically activated.
- 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein two coatings of CaUPVHXOYCZ are applied, and both coatings have different degrees of crystallinity.
- 7. The method according claim 1, wherein the coating material is deposited with controlled preferential crystallographic orientations.
- 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating material presents a crystalline or composition degree such that bone growth is stimulated at the same rate that coating reabsorption occurs.
- 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the implant to be treated is made of Ti, a Ti alloy, MgO, Si, GaAs, GeSi, SiC, C, a polymer, steel, or a Co—Cr, Al2O3 alloy.
- 10. An implant processed by a method according to claim 1.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9602439 |
Nov 1996 |
ES |
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Parent Case Info
The present application is a continuation of PCT/ES97/00269 filed Nov. 10, 1997. The present invention refers to a method for improving the osteointegration of implants for orthopedic and odontology applications.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
9425637 |
Oct 1994 |
WO |
9616196 |
May 1996 |
WO |
9640297 |
Dec 1996 |
WO |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/ES97/00269 |
Nov 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/113584 |
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US |