title: Catastrophic failure of the acetabular component in a ceramic-polyethylene bearing total hip arthroplasty.
abstract: Recent research in total hip arthroplasty has focused on attempts to decrease wear at the femoral head-acetabulum articulation, to limit the production of debris that is believed to lead to osteolysis and prosthetic loosening. The use of ceramic-on-polyethylene bearing surfaces has been reported to produce lower wear rates and therefore may increase the life expectancy of the joint arthroplasty. Problems with this bearing have been reported to be due to ceramic femoral head fracture. Reported here are 2 cases of catastrophic failure of total hip arthroplasties, involving a ceramic femoral head, caused by failure of the polyethylene acetabular liner, with subsequent penetration of the femoral head through the acetabular shell.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ergas
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Stuchin
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
mesh_terms: D000077:Acetabulum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002516:Ceramics; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011095:Polyethylenes; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D011095:Polyethylenes