Many of the failures of total joint replacements are related to tribology, i.e., wear of the cup, head and liner. Accumulation of wear particles at the implants can be linked to osteolysis which leads to bone loss and in the end aseptic implant loosening. Therefore it is highly desirable to reduce the generation of wear particles from the implant surfaces. Silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) has shown ...

Two Durasul highly crosslinked polyethylene liners were exchanged during revision surgery four and five years after implantation, respectively. The retrieved liners were evaluated macroscopically and surface analysis was performed using optical and electron microscopy. A sample of each liner was used to determine the oxidation of the material by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Samples ...

Despite the large loads placed upon constrained acetabular liners, little is known of their mechanical performance. We analyzed retrieved liners to determine wear and other damage modes and assess associations between types and severity of damage and clinical, radiographic, and implant variables. Outer rim impingement frequency and severity were higher than that for the inner rim. The 20 degree...

Periprosthetic osteolysis is associated with accelerated wear rates. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of demographic and technical variables on wear rates and size of osteolytic lesions. Eighty retrieved ABG I prostheses were analyzed according to prospectively established criteria. There were 22 men and 58 women with an average age of 52 years (34-65) at the time of revi...

Aseptic loosening after total joint replacement remains the most common reason for long-term implant failure. Macrophages activated by submicron wear particles of the polyethylene liner used in joint replacement have been shown to be the source of periprosthetic bone loss. Understanding the role of material chemistry in macrophage activation and the subsequent effects that macrophage-derived en...

Based on a case report in which wear of the polyethylene liner in an uncemented hip prosthesis led to the development of an intrapelvic mass, the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment are described. Characteristic osseous and soft tissue reactions caused by release of polyethylene particles to periarticular tissue are discussed as well as the differential diagnosis with infectious and malignant...

The smaller acetabular components used in total hip replacement may have a polyethylene liner that is too thin, resulting in higher polyethylene stress and an increased potential for wear. The authors present a case that highlights the problem of acute polyethylene fracture. To compensate for the thinness of the polyethylene, the authors recommend the use of a smaller head size to allow polyeth...

It has been known the highly cross linked polyethylene (HXLPE) has an advantage of improved wear rate. However, the alteration in mechanical properties such as decreased tensile yield and fatigue strength make concerns about fragility of HXLPE. We experienced a case of HXLPE breakage. But, this case of liner breakage happened although patient belonged to normal BMI and proper acetabular cup pos...

There is currently considerable interest in the use of highly cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) acetabular liners for total hip arthroplasty (THA). In literature, only a single retrieval analysis of one type of XLPE liner implanted for greater than four years exists. The purpose of the present report is to quantify surface deviations in two XLPE liners implanted during revision THA and retrieved...

In this study, injection molding process of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) reinforced with nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) was simulated and optimized through minimizing the shrinkage and warpage of the hip liners as an essential part of a hip prosthesis. Fractional factorial design (FFD) was applied to the design of the experiment, modeling, and optimizing the shrinkage and warpage...