Owing to its unique properties such as shape memory effects, superelasticity and radiopacity, NiTi alloy is a valuable biomaterial for fabricating implants. The major concern of this alloy for biological applications is the high atomic percentage of nickel in the alloy and the deleterious effects to the body by the corrosion and/or wears products. In this study, a continuous wave Nd-YAG laser was used to conduct laser gas nitriding on the substrate of NiTi alloy. The results show that a continuous and crack-free thin TiN layer was produced in situ on the NiTi substrate. The characteristics of the nitrided surface layer were investigated using SEM, XRD, XPS and AAS. No nickel signal was detected on the top surface of the laser gas nitrided layer. As compared with the mechanical polished NiTi alloy, the nickel ion release rate out of the nitrided NiTi alloy decreased significantly in Hanks' solution at 37 degreesC, especially the initial release rate. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.