Currently utilized implants take a great deal of time to integrate with the body after the initial surgical procedure occurs. True adhesion between the implant and the bone has been difficult to achieve and, unfortunately, success rates of implant fixation are low due to the implant's failure to achieve long-term osseointegration into the bone. With an increasing number of individuals requiring orthopedic implants, the development of materials with structural and biological potential to improve osseointegration is crucial. Utilization of titanium-based foams present one way to potentially improve the bioactivity  and reduce stress-shielding effects of currently employed bioimplant materials.
The problem of osseointegration is best understood by examining the process of natural bone growth. In the body, bone and tissues experience self-regeneration, and structural modifications occur normally in response to environmental stimuli. Successful osseointegration occurs in three main stages that follow a natural biologically determined procedure: 1) incorporation of the implant into the bone's formation, 2) adaption of the new bone mass to carry weight and 3) remodeling of the new bone structure. The first stage in this process is the most crucial for overall success; the implant and the bone must form a rapid connection, and this bond must be strong and enduring. Owing to its porous structure, a titanium metal foam implant may be able to achieve close fixation with the bone and will decrease patient recovery time considerably. Essentially, the foam becomes an extracellular matrix in the body as tissue is integrated into it. Today, the implants most commonly used for bone replacement lack the ability to promote these characteristics, which are found in natural bone and, as a result, the implants have limited lifetimes. This phenomenon of osseointegration works similarly to direct fracture healing. However, instead of a bone fragment-end reconnecting to bone, the fragment-end connects to an implant surface. In a study on fibroblastic interactions with high-porosity Ti6Al4V alloy, the metal foam was supportive of cell attachment and proliferation, migration through the porous network, and proved capable of sustaining a large cell population.