Minimum Five-Year Follow-Up Wear Measurement of Longevity Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene Cup Against Cobalt-Chromium or Zirconia Heads

Nakahara, Ichiro; Nakamura, Nobuo; Nishii, Takashi; Miki, Hidenobu; Sakai, Takashi; Sugano, Nobuhiko

doi:10.1016/j.arth.2009.09.006

« Previous Next »The Journal of Arthroplasty
Volume 25, Issue 8 , Pages 1182-1187, December 2010

Minimum Five-Year Follow-Up Wear Measurement of Longevity Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene Cup Against Cobalt-Chromium or Zirconia Heads

Ichiro Nakahara, MD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
Nobuo Nakamura, MD, PhD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyowakai Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Takashi Nishii, MD, PhD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Orthopaedic Medical Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
Hidenobu Miki, MD, PhD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka National Hospital, Osaka, Japan
Takashi Sakai, MD, PhD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
Nobuhiko Sugano, MD, PhD
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Orthopaedic Medical Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- Reprint requests: Nobuhiko Sugano, MD, PhD, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 5650871 Japan.

Received 18 March 2009; accepted 25 September 2009. published online 02 November 2009.

Abstract

We investigated the efficacy of combining highly cross-linked polyethylene with ceramic heads on further reduction in polyethylene wear compared with the combination with cobalt-chromium heads via PolyWare computer-assisted method. A prospective cohort study was performed on 102 cementless total hip arthroplasties using Longevity (Zimmer, Warsaw, Ind) highly cross-linked polyethylene liners. Either 26-mm zirconia heads or 26-mm cobalt-chromium heads were randomly used in 51 hips each. At a mean follow-up of 6.7 years, no significant differences were identified between the groups for total penetration rate and steady-state wear rate. Osteolysis was not observed in any hips in either group. In conclusion, no advantage was seen for the 26-mm zirconia head compared with the 26-mm cobalt-chromium head in this period.

Keywords: total hip arthroplasty, highly cross-linked polyethylene, zirconia, wear, osteolysis