PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Megan L. Harper
AU  - Andrew Dooris
AU  - Philippe E. Paré
TI  - The fundamentals of biotribology and its application to spine arthroplasty
AID  - 10.1016/j.esas.2009.11.004
DP  - 2009 Jan 01
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - 125--132
VI  - 3
IP  - 4
4099  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/3/4/125.short
4100  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/3/4/125.full
SO  - Int J Spine Surg2009 Jan 01; 3
AB  - The biological effect of wear of articulating surfaces is a continued concern with large joint replacements and, likewise, of interest for total disc replacements. There are a number of important biotribological testing parameters that can greatly affect the outcome of a wear study in addition to the implant design and material selection. The current ASTM and ISO wear testing standards/guides for spine arthroplasty leave many choices as testing parameters. These factors include but are not limited to the sequence of kinematics and load, phasing, type of lubricant, and specimen preparation (sterilization and artificial aging). The spinal community should critically assess wear studies and be cognizant of the influence of the selected parameters on the test results.