Biocompatibility: Performance in the Surgical Reconstruction of Man

Surgeons are finding an increasing variety of applications for synthetic materials and devices for purposes of reconstructing tissues following disease or trauma. It is not surprising that difficulties are encountered as soon as a foreign material, whether it is metal, plastic, ceramic or composite, is placed within the body, for there are inevitable interactions between the tissues and the material. The tissues provide an environment that is extremely hostile yet sensitive to and unforgiving of irritating foreign bodies. The many components of the interactions that take place at this interface between man and his replacement are collectively described under the term 'biocompatibility'. Control of biocompatibility is the single most important factor in determining the long-term success of these devices. The subject is, by definition, interdisciplinary par excellence.