Second generation (low modulus) titanium alloys in total hip arthroplasty

Titanium alloys ‐ type (α+β) ‐ like Ti6Al7Nb or Ti6Al4V are widely used in cementless total hip arthroplasty due to their lower modulus, biocompatibility and enhanced corrosion resistance in comparison to Stainless Steel or Cobalt‐Chromium implant materials. Several articles report about atrophy of the proximal femur in cases where long stems with a big diameter made of (α+β) Titanium alloys with a relatively high value of the Youngs’ Modulus (110 GPa) in comparison to the Youngs’ Modulus of cortical bone (15–25 GPa) have been implanted using a prosthesis design with distal anchorage technique. Meanwhile several implant manufacturers have developed a new group of biocompatible Beta‐Titanium alloys with a lower Youngs’ Modulus around 70 GPa. This article gives an overview of the current status of available low modulus Titanium alloys including their mechanical characteristics and future developments.