title: Evaluation of several immunological parameters in patients with aseptic loosening of hip arthroplasty.
abstract: The authors evaluated several immunological parameters in patients with loosened hip arthroplasty in order to determine the state of sensitization with regard to the metallic constituents of the prosthesis. The results obtained by in vivo epicutaneous testing did not reveal a correlation between loosening and sensitization, as the patch test was positive in only 1 out of 16 cases examined. An evaluation of the lymphocyte subpopulation on peripheral blood demonstrated that patients with prostheses in Cr, Co, Mo, Ni alloy present significant lymphopenia, with a reduction in subpopulations CD4 and CD8 and a decrease in in vitro cytotoxic activity. The meaning of these modifications could be interpreted to be either a toxic effect products released from the implant, or as the recruitment of lymphocytes in the site of loosening, due to lymphocyte sequestration phenomena consequent to a cell-mediated hypersensitivity reaction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Biocompatibilità dei Materiali da Impianto, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Bologna.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Granchi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciapetti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stea
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cavedagna
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bettini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fontanesi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pizzoferrato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000497:Alloys / Q000009:adverse effects; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods; D011475:Prosthesis Failure
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D015703:Antigens, CD