Biomedical implants and medical radiation

Ionizing radiation-induced physicochemical modifications in implant materials directly influence their mechanical performance, surface stability, and biocompatibility, thereby affecting the material's long-term tissue integration, inflammatory response, and clinical reliability of biomedical implants. As there is an ever growing use of medical radiation in the field of diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, and radionuclide-based therapies an explicit review is required on how such exposure affects the biomedical implant materials. This review examines how ionizing radiation affects the most commonly used implant materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, focusing on structural degradation mechanisms, reported experimental outcomes, and clinical implications. In further sections emerging material improvement strategies are also discussed, along with emphasis on the urgent need for in vivo validation, standardized dose-effect studies, and the development of radiation-tolerant implant materials for diagnostic and therapeutic use. Integrating insights from materials science and clinical radiobiology, this article aims to guide informed implant material selection and act as literature support for the design of next-generation implants tuned and optimized for functioning adequately in radiation-rich medical environments.