title: Relationship between gravimetric wear and particle generation in hip simulators: conventional compared with cross-linked polyethylene.
abstract: Hip-simulator studies have shown reduced gravimetric wear rates for inert-gas gamma-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene when compared with conventional ethylene-oxide-sterilized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Analysis shows a greater number of particles generated from inert-gas gamma-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. This study was undertaken to examine particle-generation rates of polyethylene with different levels of cross-linking and to correlate them with gravimetric wear data. Particle-generation rates did not correlate with gravimetric wear rates. Particle analysis should be performed to predict the in vivo behavior of bearing surface materials. Cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene subjected to 10 Mrad (100,000 Gy) of gamma irradiation generated significantly fewer particles than ethylene-oxide-sterilized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene; it also demonstrated a 96% reduction in the volume of particles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 94143, USA. riesm@orthosurg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ries
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jani
mesh_terms: D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011095:Polyethylenes; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure
chemical_list: D011095:Polyethylenes