Wear debris released from bearing surfaces has been shown to
provoke negative immune responses in the recipient. Excessive wear
has been linked to early failure of prostheses. Analysis using coordinate
measuring machines (CMMs) can provide estimates of total volumetric
material loss of explanted prostheses and can help to understand
device failure. The accuracy of volumetric testing has been debated,
with some investigators stating that only protocols involving hundreds
of thousands of measurement points are sufficient. We looked to
examine this assumption and to apply the findings to the clinical
arena. We examined the effects on the calculated material loss from
a ceramic femoral head when different CMM scanning parameters were
used. Calculated wear volumes were compared with gold standard gravimetric
tests in a blinded study. Objectives
Methods
