title: Variations in the trunnion surface topography between different commercially available hip replacement stems.
abstract: Modular hip implants allows for the adjustment of leg length, offset, and the ability to remove the head for acetabular exposure during primary and revision surgery. The design of the Morse taper facilitates the intimate contact of the conical trunnion of the femoral stem (male component), with the conical bore of the femoral head (female component). Orthopaedic trunnion tapers are not standardized and vary in length, taper angle, and base dimension. Variations in the design and surface characteristics of the trunnion, will directly reflect on the interface at the taper junction and can influence the likelihood of subsequent wear, corrosion and longevity of the implant. The effect of surface topography of trunnions on commercially available hip stems has not yet been considered as a possible contributing factor in the corrosion observed at taper junctions. In this study we analyzed the surface topography and surface roughness of randomly selected commercially available femoral hip stem trunnions to obtain a greater insight into their surface characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Prince of Wales Clinical School, The Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; The Specialist Orthopaedic Group, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; The Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Selin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Munir
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: William Robert
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D005269:Femur; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008857:Microscopy, Interference; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium
keywords: corrosion; surface roughness; taper; topography; trunnion