Wear of a highly cross-linked polyethylene liner: a preliminary RSA study
Date
2009
Authors
Campbell, D.
Mercer, G.
Nilsson, G.
Wells, V.
Field, J.
Callary, S.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, 2009; 20(1):23-27
Statement of Responsibility
David Campbell, Graham Mercer, Kjell-Gunnar Nilsson, Vanessa Wells, John R. Field and Stuart A. Callary
Conference Name
Abstract
Wear induced peri-prosthetic osteolysis and aseptic loosening remain the major contributing factors to failure of total hip arthroplasty. To reduce wear particles from acetabular liners, the process of polyethylene cross-linking has been modified. In this study, we examine the wear of Marathon™ acetabular liners using Radiostereometric Analysis. Thirty patients were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Femoral head penetration was calculated for 25 patients at 6 months, 1 and 2 years postoperatively. The mean proximal head penetration was 0.067 mm at 6 months, 0.113 mm at 1 year and 0.120 mm at 2 years. The mean three-dimensional femoral head penetration was 0.240 mm at 6 months, 0.230 mm at 1 year and 0.232 mm at 2 years. For both parameters, there was no measurable wear between 1 and 2 years, and the mean annual linear wear was less than 0.06 mm/year, which is less than the suggested osteolysis threshold for polyethylene. All patients demonstrated a dramatic improvement in clinical scores. These results were comparable with other studies that used alternative techniques with conventional radiography to evaluate wear for Marathon™. Long-term studies using the RSA method are recommended to further quantify the clinical performance of this polyethylene liner.