title: Catastrophic wear in a metal-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasty.
abstract: A 51-year-old woman came to our clinic 6 months after a right total hip arthroplasty. She had noticed a slowly growing mass in the proximal thigh and referred progressive pain in the right groin. Plain radiography revealed premature acetabular cup aseptic loosening, and in the computed tomography study, a 14-cm-diameter mass was observed. Revision surgery was performed, showing a metal-on-ceramic bearing surface. The histologic analysis of surrounding tissues was reported as massive metallosis. Although occasionally chosen for primary or revision hip arthroplasty, there is little information available about the in vivo wear behavior of this combination. This important fact should be taken into account before considering such a surface alternative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, University Clinic of Navarre, Navarre, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Ramon
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Valentí
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Del Río
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amillo
mesh_terms: D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002516:Ceramics; D005260:Female; D006622:Hip Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008670:Metals; D008875:Middle Aged; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation