Wear of alumina-on-alumina total hip arthroplasties at a mean 11-year followup.
The surface topography of 11 alumina-on-alumina hip arthroplasties retrieved for aseptic loosening at a mean 11-year followup was investigated. Macroscopic wear was assessed using a coordinate measuring machine. Microscopic wear features were evaluated by Talysurf analysis. Scanning electron microscopy was used to look at the alumina microstructure. Components were classified into three groups: (1) low wear with no sign of wear and average arithmetic roughness values below 0.05 microm; (2) stripe wear with a visible oblong worn area on the femoral heads and penetration rates below 10 microm/year; and (3) severe wear with a visible loss of material on both components, showing total roughness values as much as 4 microm and maximum penetrations higher than 150 microm. Alumina quality assessed by grain size measurements and porosity percentages improved progressively from 1977 to 1988. This resulted in a correlated decrease of the microscopic wear magnitude. However, on a macroscopic scale, factors responsible for either a load increase (weight, young age, and male gender) or impairment in the load distribution over the component surfaces (large grain size, nonoptimal initial cup inclination, and cup migration and/or tilting) increased the penetration rates.
Prudhommeaux
F
F
Laboratoire de Recherches Orthopédiques, UPRES-A CNRS 7052, Paris, France.
Hamadouche
M
M
Nevelos
J
J
Doyle
C
C
Meunier
A
A
Sedel
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000537:Aluminum Oxide; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged; D011475:Prosthesis Failure
D000537:Aluminum Oxide