title: Long-term in vivo wear performance of porous-coated acetabular components sterilized with gamma irradiation in air or ethylene oxide.
abstract: This study evaluated the long-term in vivo wear performance of 2 groups of well-functioning cementless acetabular cups sterilized by different methods. The first group included 31 hips that were implanted with AML TriSpike cups (DePuy, Warsaw, IN) sterilized by gamma-irradiation in air. The second group included 28 hips implanted with Arthropor cups (Joint Medical Products, Stamford, CT) that were sterilized with ethylene oxide. Time-dependent variations in the radiographic wear rates were compared within each group. Changes in the wear rates between 4- and 16-year follow-up times for the TriSpike cups were not significant (P=.09), and there was no evidence to suggest a trend toward substantially increasing wear rates with longer follow-up times. Among the Arthropor cups, the wear rates remained relatively constant between 2 and 14 years of follow-up evaluation. Although clinically apparent late increases in radiographic head penetration rates were not evident, we will continue to monitor all patients for evidence of accelerated wear at late follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute, Alexandria, VA 22306, USA.
authors.forename: Karl F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Orishimo
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hopper
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Engh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005027:Ethylene Oxide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013242:Sterilization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D005027:Ethylene Oxide