Comparative microanalysis and histological studies of porous titanium and nitinol (NiTi) implants fabricated by selective laser sintering are carried out. Sintered Ti and NiTi nanoporous structures are developed with grain sizes ranging from dozens to several hundreds nanometer and their formation is discussed. Dependence of the surface morphology of the implant on laser processing parameters (laser power, scanning velocity and beam diameter) is observed by analyzing the fractal-type nanostructure and its self-organization from the nano- to the macro-passing through the microlevel. It is shown that functional characteristics of the synthesized medical implants depend on the pores size distribution and their relative location as well as on the nanostructural morphology of the sintered surface. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.