Fracture of an alumina ceramic head in total hip arthroplasty.
The authors have experienced a fracture in the ceramic head in a total hip arthroplasty in three cases. Two of these were comminuted and the other was a hair-line fissure. A foreign body, perhaps from the operation, existed between the neck of the stem and the head in two cases (one in a comminuted fracture and the other in the fissure fracture). The other case had no foreign body, and, judging from the serial radiographs, the fracture was probably caused by weight-bearing stress. Care must be taken during operation to avoid interposing any foreign body in the modular ceramic head total hip arthroplasty, and the weight-bearing stress factor must be considered as an indication for a ceramic head fracture in young active patients.
Higuchi
F
F
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kurume University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Shiba
N
N
Inoue
A
A
Wakebe
I
I
D000368:Aged; D000537:Aluminum Oxide; D002516:Ceramics; D005260:Female; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D012086:Reoperation; D013499:Surface Properties; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology
D000537:Aluminum Oxide