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Objectives

Irrigation is the cornerstone of treating skeletal infection by eliminating pathogens in wounds. A previous study shows that irrigation with normal saline (0.9%) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) could improve the removal of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) compared with normal saline (NS) alone. However, it is still unclear whether EDTA solution is effective against infection with drug-resistant bacteria.

Methods

We established three wound infection models (skin defect, bone-exposed, implant-exposed) by inoculating the wounds with a variety of representative drug-resistant bacteria including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC), multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB), multidrug-resistant Enterobacter (MRE), and multidrug-resistant Proteus mirabilis (MRPM). Irrigation and debridement were repeated until the wound culture became negative. The operating times required to eliminate pathogens in wounds were compared through survival analysis.


Bone & Joint Research
Vol. 6, Issue 12 | Pages 649 - 655
1 Dec 2017
Liu Y Zhu H Hong H Wang W Liu F

Objectives

Recently, high failure rates of metal-on-metal (MOM) hip implants have raised concerns of cobalt toxicity. Adverse reactions occur to cobalt nanoparticles (CoNPs) and cobalt ions (Co2+) during wear of MOM hip implants, but the toxic mechanism is not clear.

Methods

To evaluate the protective effect of zinc ions (Zn2+), Balb/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells were pretreated with 50 μM Zn2+ for four hours. The cells were then exposed to different concentrations of CoNPs and Co2+ for four hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. The cell viabilities, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and inflammatory cytokines were measured.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 99-B, Issue SUPP_3 | Pages 145 - 145
1 Feb 2017
Gross T Fowble C Webb L Burnett T Liu F
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Purpose

Traditionally, an inpatient hospital stay has been required for joint replacement surgery. The three primary drivers of cost for joint replacement have been implant cost, other hospital charges and postoperative rehabilitation costs. The three primary reasons that have made hospitalization necessary are pain control, blood loss / transfusion, and monitoring patients with comorbidities. Advances in surgical technique, implants, comprehensive blood management, and multimodal pain management have allowed a marked reduction in the hospital stay required and have eliminated the need for extensive formal rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if hip resurfacing can be performed safely and cost-effectively as an outpatient procedure.

Methods

We present the short-term outcome of our first 125 hip resurfacings done as an outpatient procedure performed by two experienced surgeons. Young patients without major medical co-morbidities were selected. The average age was 53±7 years old (range: 38 to 66), there were 98 men and 27 women. The mean ASA score was 1.7±0.5 (range 1 to 3). The diagnosis was OA in 92, dysplasia in 22, and osteonecrosis in 9, and trauma in 2. There were no major complications noted in the first 6 weeks postoperative. There was one ER visit, and there were no hospitalizations required.


Bone & Joint Research
Vol. 5, Issue 5 | Pages 198 - 205
1 May 2016
Wang WJ Liu F Zhu Y Sun M Qiu Y Weng WJ

Objectives

Normal sagittal spine-pelvis-lower extremity alignment is crucial in humans for maintaining an ergonomic upright standing posture, and pathogenesis in any segment leads to poor balance. The present study aimed to investigate how this sagittal alignment can be affected by severe knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and whether associated changes corresponded with symptoms of lower back pain (LBP) in this patient population.

Methods

Lateral radiograph films in an upright standing position were obtained from 59 patients with severe KOA and 58 asymptomatic controls free from KOA. Sagittal alignment of the spine, pelvis, hip and proximal femur was quantified by measuring several radiographic parameters. Global balance was accessed according to the relative position of the C7 plumb line to the sacrum and femoral heads. The presence of chronic LBP was documented. Comparisons between the two groups were carried by independent samples t-tests or chi-squared test.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 10 - 10
1 Jan 2016
Liu F Gross T
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Introduction

Traditionally an inpatient hospital stay has been required for all joint replacement surgery. The three primary drivers of cost for joint replacement have been implant cost, other hospital charges and postoperative rehabilitation costs. The three primary reasons that have made hospitalization necessary are pain control, therapy and possible transfusion. Advances in surgical technique, implants, comprehensive blood management, and multimodal pain management have allowed a marked reduction in the hospital stay required, eliminated the need for extensive formal rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if hip resurfacing can be performed safely and cost-effectively as an outpatient procedure.

Methods

We present the short-term outcome of our first 77 hip resurfacings done as an outpatient procedure performed by two experienced surgeons. Young patients without major medical co-morbidities were selected. The average age was 53±6 years old (range: 38 to 66), there were 57 men and 20 women. The mean ASA score was 1.6±0.5 (range 1 to 2). The diagnosis was OA in 56, dysplasia in 17, avascular necrosis in 2, and others in 2.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 12 - 12
1 Jan 2016
Liu F Gross TP
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Dysplasia has long been identified as a high-risk group for total hip replacement(THR). The underlying causes include younger age, underlying joint deformity, and greater tissue laxity. A higher failure rate has also been identified for hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) in these patients. Many experts have advised avoiding HRA in these patients, although comparative studies are not available. We do not practice patient selection, because THR has not been proven any more reliable for these patients. Instead, we have taken the approach of studying the causes of failure and finding methods to improve the results of HRA in dysplasia patients. We have identified three primary failure modes for the young women who typically have dysplasia: failure of initial acetabular ingrowth (FAI), adverse wear related failure (AWRF), and early femoral failure (EFF: femoral neck fracture and head collapse). Improvements in technique to address all of these failure modes were in place by 2008: acetabular components with supplemental fixation for severe deformities (trispike), guidelines and intraoperative x-ray techniques to eliminate malpositioned acetabular components resulting in edge-loading, uncemented femoral fixation and a bone management protocol that has eliminated early femoral failure.

Group I includes 142 cases done before 2008 and Group II includes 168 cases with minimum 2-year follow-up done after this date. Two-year failure rates improved from 5% (8/142) to 0.6% (1/168) and 5-year Kaplan-Meier survivorship improved from 93% to 99%.

In Group II we have had only one failure (femoral neck fracture) in 168 dysplasia cases with 2–5 year follow-up. There have been no failures of acetabular ingrowth, no AWRF, no femoral head collapse, no failures of femoral ingrowth, no femoral loosenings, no dislocations and no nerve palsies. All acetabular components placed since 2008 meet our published RAIL (relative acetabular inclination limit) guidelines, which we have shown to be 99% reliable in avoiding high on levels and AWRF.

Both groups were 70% female. With a mean bearing size 48mm (high-risk for HRA). There was also no differences in DEXA scan T score, BMI, ASA score, length of incision (4 inches) HHS, or patients participating in impact sports (UCLA activity score 9&10). In Group II the mean age was 3 years greater (52), the mean operative time was 20 minutes shorter (96 minutes), estimated blood loss was 120 ml less (140ml) and the mean hospital stay was one day shorter (2 days) probably reflective of greater experience in this single surgeon series.

We have demonstrated that with sufficient surgeon experience and properly designed implants, hip resurfacing can be performed with a failure rate that is lower than most reports on THR for this disorder.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 153 - 153
1 Jan 2016
Liu F Gross T
Full Access

Introduction

Adverse wear related failure (AWRF) after metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) has been described as a new failure mechanism. We describe the results of revision of these failures.

Methods

Between July 1999 and Jan 2014, a single surgeon performed 3407 HRA. Nine (9/3407; 0.3%) cases in 8 patients were revised due to AWRF. In two additional revisions for AWRF the primary HRA was done elsewhere. There were a total of 11 revisions (9 women, 2 men) for AWRF cases reported in this study. The primary diagnoses were OA in 7 and dysplasia in 4. At the time of the primary surgery, the average age was 50±5 years and the average BMI was 27±4. The average femoral component sizes were 46±3mm. Only the acetabular component was revised in eight cases, both components were revised in 4 cases (revised to THA), three of these four used metal on metal bearings. A postop CT was requested for all patients after revision. 4 scans were of sufficient quality to analyze implant positions. Algorithms for metal artifact reduction were utilized to obtain high quality 2D images (Figure 1); 3D CAD models of the bones and implants were regenerated in order to calculate the acetabular inclination and anteversion angle (Figure 2).


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 11 - 11
1 Jan 2016
Liu F Gross T
Full Access

Introduction

A recent report based on the NARA database (Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association) found that the 10-year survivorship of patients under 50 with traditional total hip arthroplasty was only 83% in 14,600 cases. The purpose of this study was to compare our experience using metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) to treat these patients.

Methods

from May 2001 to Feb 2012, a single surgeon performed 1029 metal-on-metal HRA in 855 patients younger than 50 years old. Three different implants were used in consecutive groups of patients, first the Corin hybrid HRA (182); then the Biomet hybrid HRA (306); and finally the Biomet uncemented HRA (541). The primary diagnoses were OA (707); dysplasia (125); osteonecrosis (98); post-trauma (28); Legg-Calve-Perthes (27) and others (44). The average age was 43±6 years; 74% were men; the average BMI was 27±4; mean femoral component size was 50±4 (range 40–62); the average T-score was 0±1. 37% of our patients reported a UCLA Activity level of 9 or 10 (impact sports). Six died with causes unrelated to their HRAs. The rate of follow-up was 94%. Our patients were not selected by any criteria except the surgeon's technical ability to perform an HRA.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 98-B, Issue SUPP_2 | Pages 154 - 154
1 Jan 2016
Liu F Gross T
Full Access

Introduction

Most metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants currently being used worldwide utilize bone ingrowth fixation on the acetabular side, but cement fixation remains the standard method of fixation on the femoral side. Our hypothesis is that bone ingrowth fixation of a fully porous-coated component is superior to cement fixation of the femoral hip resurfacing component.

Methods

From March 2007 to Jan 2009, 429 consecutive metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasties were performed by a single surgeon in 396 unselected patients using Biomet uncemented femoral and acetabular components. All of these were at least 5-years postop. Three patients died with causes unrelated to their hip arthroplasty. The three most common primary diagnoses were osteoarthritis in 318 (74%) cases, dysplasia in 66 (15%) hips, and osteonecrosis in 19 (4%) hips. The average size of the femoral component was 50 ± 4 cm. All pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative data were prospectively collected and entered into our database for review. All patients are allowed unrestricted activity including impact sports after 6 months.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_34 | Pages 214 - 214
1 Dec 2013
Abdelgaied A Brockett C Liu F Jennings L Jin Z Fisher J
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Introduction:

Backside wear has been previously reported through in-vitro and in-vivo to have a significant contribution to the total wear in rotating bearing TKRs.

The present study investigated the contribution of backside wear to the total wear in the PFC Sigma rotating platform mobile bearing TKR. In addition, the wear results were compared to the computed wear rates of the PFC Sigma fixed bearing TKR, with two different bearing materials.

Materials and Methods:

The commercially available PFC Sigma rotating platform mobile bearing and PFC Sigma fixed bearing total knee replacements, size 3 (DePuy, UK) were tested, with either conventional or moderately cross-linked (5 MRad) GUR1020 UHMWPE bearing materials. The computational wear model for the knee implants was based on the contact area and an independent experimentally determined non-dimensional wear coefficient [1,2,3].

The experimental wear test for the mobile bearing was force controlled using the ISO anterior-posterior force (ISO14243-1-2009). However, due to time limitation of the explicit simulation required to run the force controlled model, the simulation was run using the AP displacements taken from the experimental knee simulator which was run under the ISO AP force. The Sigma fixed bearing TKR was run under high level of anterior-posterior displacements (maximum of 10 mm).


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_34 | Pages 329 - 329
1 Dec 2013
Liu F Gross TP
Full Access

Introduction:

Uncemented acetabular component fixation has been considered the most reliable fixation method in contemporary metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA). During prospective long-term follow-up of a HRA device, we have encountered a surprisingly high incidence of this complication and wish to alert surgeons and manufacturers of this problem.

Methods:

The study group was comprised of all 373 HRAs performed by a single surgeon using this hybrid hip resurfacing implant from May 2001 to March 2005. The acetabular component features a dual-coated bone ingrowth surface of plasma-sprayed titanium plus hydroxylappatite. There were a total of 34 revisions identified at the time of this study.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_34 | Pages 69 - 69
1 Dec 2013
Liu F Gross TP
Full Access

Background:

Metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (THA) implants have been widely debated due to the adverse wear issue related to the bearing surfacing. However, more recent studies have shown that the high metal ion problems that occur after surgery with this type of implant may not be exclusively related to the all metal bearing surfaces, but mainly due to the recently modified connecting tapers. Biomet is one of few companies who have not changed their original taper design for their THA implants. The purpose of this study was to present our up to eight-year clinical results.

Method:

Between November 2004 and April 2011, all of the 196 cases in 167 patients (77 male vs. 89 female) performed by a single surgeon were included in this study. The Biomet Magnum/Jumbo metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty implants were utilized for all of the cases. The average age was 59 ± 11 years at the time of surgery. Thirteen patients deceased from causes unrelated to THA. The primary diagnosis was OA in 124 cases; followed by AVN in 41 cases, dysplasia in 12 cases and other causes in the remaining 19 cases. The average acetabular component sizes were 54 ± 4 mm. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed prospectively, and the results were analyzed.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_34 | Pages 330 - 330
1 Dec 2013
Liu F Gross TP
Full Access

Introduction:

More and more metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) implants have been used for active younger patients because of its higher success rate and better function outcomes for this group of patients compared to the traditional total hip arthroplasty (THA). One of the advantages of HRA is femoral neck preservation, which provides better bone structure in case a revision is necessary in the future. However, some believe that the outcomes after revision of hip resurfacing were not as good as the traditional THA. The purpose of this study was to provide our outcomes of the revisions, due to various causes, from over 3000 HRAs.

Method:

Between May 2001 and April 2013, a single surgeon performed 3180 HRA. During that same period, 88 required revision (2.8%). Among them, the primary causes of the revision were acetabular component loosening in 22 cases; femoral component loosening in 21; femoral neck fracture in 19; adverse wear in eight; deep infection in four; and other causes for the rest. 68 of these revisions were performed by the same surgeon, while the remainder were revised elsewhere. 53 among these 68 cases had reached a minimum follow-up of two years and were included in this report. In 96%(51/53) of cases, the revision bearing was a large metal type including in 6/8 cases of adverse wear failure. There were eight cases of adverse wear with ion levels elevated above 10 μg/L, metalosis and inflammatory reaction seen at the time of revision. All of these cases had acetabular inclination angles larger than 50°. 7/8 of these cases were revised to another large metal bearing with improved acetabular component position. We analyzed the clinical scores, complications and radiographic results and compared them between these groups.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_34 | Pages 328 - 328
1 Dec 2013
Liu F Gross TP
Full Access

Introduction:

One reason that young and active patients choose hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) rather than stemmed total hip arthroplasty (THA) is that they wish to return to high impact sports after their operation. Few studies have addressed the outcome in hip arthroplasty patients who choose to participate in high impact sports post-operatively. We therefore wanted to determine if the durability of HRA in highly active patients was decreased.

Methods:

From 5/2001 to 5/2011, a single surgeon performed 2434 HRA cases in 2013 patients. The study group consists of all patients that had a UCLA Activity score of 9 or 10 at any point after surgery in our prospective database. There were 936 (38%) cases in 776 patients who reported participating in high impact sports at some point after surgery. This group was compared to the entire database. The mean age of the study group was 50 ± 8 years, which was significantly younger than the entire group (P = 0.0007). 82% of the study group was male compared to 73% in the entire group (P < 0.0001). 85% of the primary diagnoses were osteoarthritis in the study group compared to 78% in the entire group (P < 0.0001), followed by dysplasia (8%) and osteonecrosis (4%).


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 95-B, Issue SUPP_15 | Pages 65 - 65
1 Mar 2013
Gross T Liu F
Full Access

761 cases in 613 patients with minimal two years follow-up had both metal ion levels and quality pelvis X-ray identified in our database and are included in this study. The UCLA activity score, femoral shaft angle, body mass index, weight, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, combined range of motion (CROM), diagnosis, age, implant brand, gender, AIA, bearing size, and duration of implantation were analyzed to determine the potential risk factors for elevated metal ion levels with use of uni- and multi-variable logistic regression models. A safe zone for hip resurfacing (RAIL: Relative Acetabular Inclination Limit) was calculated based on implant size and AIA on AP pelvis X-ray. For AIA below the RAIL, there were no adverse wear failures or dislocations, and only 1% of cases with ion levels above 10 μg/L. We have not found a lower limit of AIA where failures occurred. Other than high inclination angle and small bearing size, female gender was the only other factor that correlated with high ion levels in the multivariate analysis. We have described the robust “safe zone” for acetabular component position based on metal ion levels in a large patient cohort for metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Our study suggests that adverse wear failures with hip resurfacing may be highly predictable and avoidable. If the AIA is below the RAIL, rare dislocations are also prevented.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 90-B, Issue SUPP_II | Pages 380 - 380
1 Jul 2008
Udofia I Liu F Jin Z Roberts P Grigoris P
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Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty is a conservative procedure that is becoming an increasingly popular option for young arthritic patients most likely to undergo a secondary procedure in their lifetime. The stability of the acetabular component is of particular concern in these patients who show an increased risk of failure of the cemented acetabular cups in conventional total hip replacements. The purpose of this study was to examine the initial stability of a cementless interference press-fit acetabular cup used in hip resurfacing arthroplasty and implanted into ‘normal’ versus poor quality bone. Also examined was the effect of the press-fit procedure on the contact mechanics at the cup-bone interface and between the cup and femoral head.

A finite element (FE) model of the DUROM resurfacing (Zimmer GmbH) was created and implanted anatomically into the hip joint, which was loaded physiologically through muscle and subtrochanteric forces.

The FE models included: a line-to-line, 1mm and 2mm interference press-fit cup. Also considered were two FE models based on the 1mm press-fit cups, in which the material properties of the cancellous and cortical bone tissues were reduced by 2 and 4 times, to represent a reduction in bone quality as seen with age or disease.

Increasing the cup-bone interference resulted in a sig-nificant reduction in implant micromotion. All the pressfit models showed predicted cup-bone micromotion below 50 micrometers. This would ensure adequate initial stability and encourage secondary fixation through bone in-growth. The predicted acetabular stresses were found to increase with the amount of press-fit, however, there was no suggestion of a fracture. These stresses would further contribute to securing the cup.

Reducing the bone quality showed an increase in the predicted micromotion and increased bone strain. Micromotion was below 50 micrometers, but the predicted compressive bone stresses, necessary for additional implant fixation, was reduced. This implied that poor quality bone would provide unsuitable support medium for the implant. The bearing surface contact mechanics were little affected by the amount of pressfitting.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 90-B, Issue SUPP_I | Pages 185 - 185
1 Mar 2008
Liu F Stinton S Komistek RD
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Previous studies of cervical fusion have noted the appearance of new degeneration at levels adjacent to fused segments. The cause of this degeneration has not been accurately determined. The objective of this project is to determine the forces in normal and fused spines in vivo and compare the results to see if the forces in the fused spine are increased enough to cause degeneration in adjacent levels.

A normal and a fused patient (one level fused in C5-C6) have been chosen to perform a full flexion and extension motion experiments. Kinematic functions were obtained from the images. Data was input into the mathematical model and the kinetic results have been decided.

The result can help us understand in vivo kinematical and kinetic characteristics of cervical spine fusion and develop further studies in 3D models. The calculated forces will be compared to previously reported data to determine if the expected increased forces in the fused spinal are great enough to cause degeneration of adjacent levels. A better understanding will help in better treatment of cervical spine disorders.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 88-B, Issue SUPP_III | Pages 387 - 387
1 Oct 2006
Liu F Jin Z Rieker C Hirt F Roberts P Grigoris P
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Introduction: Hip simulator and clinical retrieval studies have shown that metal-on-metal (MOM) hip implants commonly have biphasic wear. An initial high wear or running-in phase is generally followed by a low wear or steady-state phase. A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain this biphasic phenomenon, including polishing of the metallic bearing surfaces and increasing conformity between the two articulating surfaces. The purpose of the present study was to compare the wear and lubrication of MOM hip implants between the running-in and steady-state periods.

Materials and Methods: A standard 28mm MetasulTM MOM bearing (Centerpulse Orthopedics, a Zimmer Company, Winterthur, Switzerland) was investigated. The wear testing was carried out using a 6-station AMTI hip simulator in the presence of 33% bovine serum and 67% Ringer solution (PH 7.2). The bearing surfaces of both the femoral and acetabular components were measured using a coordinate measurement machine at different stages of wear testing. The dimensional changes of the bearing surfaces due to wear were directly incorporated into the elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis using an in-house developed code.

Results: The initial running-in period occurred during the first 1 million cycles, and little wear was observed subsequently up to 5 millions cycles. The maximum total wear depth was measured to be around 13 μm at 1 million cycles. The predicted average lubricant film thickness between the two articulating surfaces was increased from 0.024μm at the beginning, to 0.09μm at the end of the first 1 million cycles. For a given composite surface roughness of 0.03μm often quoted for the metallic bearing surfaces, such an increase in the lubricant film thickness represents a transition from a mixed to a fluid film lubrication regime.

Discussion: A large improvement in lubrication was predicted as a direct result of the running-in wear of the bearing surfaces. This was mainly due to the increased conformity between the two articulating surfaces and the decreased diametrical clearance. It was particularly noted that the improvement in lubrication after 1 million cycles was so significant that continuous fluid film lubrication was possible, leading to extremely low wear for up to 5 million cycles, and only material fatigue and start-up and stopping for wear measurements could cause a further increase in wear.

It is possible in theory to optimise the geometry of the metallic bearing surfaces, based on the worn components, to minimise the running-in wear. However, such an improvement in lubrication cannot be readily achieved because of difficulties in surgical techniques and position of the components.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 88-B, Issue SUPP_III | Pages 383 - 383
1 Oct 2006
Liu F Jin Z Rieker C Hirt F Roberts P Grigoris P
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Introduction: Laboratory simulator and clinical retrieval studies of metal-on-metal (MOM) total hip replacements have shown that the metallic alloy, the femoral head radius, the clearance between the acetabular cup and femoral head and the cup thickness can influence the contact mechanics, the lubrication and the wear of the articulation. MOM hip resurfacing procedures have received significant attention recently. The purpose of the present study was to compare the contact mechanics between a MOM hip resurfacing implant and a MOM total hip replacement under identical conditions.

Materials and Methods: A 50mm diameter DUROMTM MOM hip resurfacing prosthesis and a 28mm diameter MetasulTM MOM bearing system (Centerpulse Orthopedics, a Zimmer Company, Winterthur, Switzerland) were investigated. All implants were manufactured from wrought-forged high carbon cobalt chromium alloy (Pro-tasul 21WFTM). The diameters of the DUROMTM femoral head and acetabular cup were 50mm and 50.145mm respectively, and the corresponding wall thickness of the acetabular component was around 4mm. The diameters of the MetasulTM femoral head and acetabular cup were 28mm and 28.12mm. Three-dimensional finite element models were created to simulate the contact between the bearing surfaces of both the femoral head and the acetabular cup fixed to a three dimensional anatomically positioned pelvic and femoral bone consisting of both cortical (with 1mm thickness) and cancellous regions. The load applied to both models was 3200N.

Results: The maximum contact pressure at the bearing surfaces was found to be around 22MPa for the DUROMTM and the contact area between the femoral and acetabular components was predicted to be 237mm2. For the MetasulTM bearing under identical conditions, the maximum contact pressure and the contact area predicted were approximately 47MPa and 74mm2 respectively.

Discussion: A large reduction in the contact pressure, which should improve overall tribological performances, was noted for the DUROMTM hip resurfacing prosthesis, as compared with the MetasulTM bearing. The main reasons for this reduction were the large diameter of the articulation and the small acetabular cup thickness of the DUROMTM system. In contrast, the MetasulTM bearing has a smaller head diameter, and relies on a polyethylene backing underneath the metallic cup inlay to reduce the contact pressure at the articulating surfaces.


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 88-B, Issue SUPP_I | Pages 41 - 41
1 Mar 2006
Liu F Jin Z Rieker C Grigoris P Roberts P
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Metal-on-metal (MOM) bearings for artificial hip joints have attracted significant attention recently as a way of reducing wear and consequently wear particle induced periprosthetic osteolysis, which is the major cause of failure. One of the most widely used MOM total hip implants is the Metasul system (Zimmer GmbH), in which a thick polyethylene backing is used underneath the metallic inlay. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the polyethylene backing on the transient lubrication under dynamic loading and velocity conditions representative of walking. A 28mm diameter Metasul bearing was analysed, and the predicted lubricant film thickness was compared with that for an all metallic cup. The predicted transient lubricant film thickness in the Metasul system was found to be significantly greater than the corresponding prediction from the all metal cup. Therefore it was concluded that the polyethylene backing may play an important role in the lubrication and overall tribological performance of the Metasul bearing system with a diameter of 28mm.