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Highly crosslinked polyethylene had improved wear over traditional polyethylene in THA
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The wear characteristics of highly crosslinked polyethylene were found to be improved over traditional polyethylene in a recently presented 9-year follow-up study of patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty.
Mark J. Jo, MD, presented his findings at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting, in San Francisco.
“We wanted to follow-up our 5-year cohort with a 9-year follow-up,” Jo said. “Our hypothesis was that highly crosslinked polyethylene would continue to show superior wear rates.”
Jo and his team compared 27 patients who received total hip arthroplasty (THA) with highly crosslinked inserts to 27 patients who received THA with traditional polyethylene inserts, matching them for gender, age, BMI and activity level.
Pain, function and motion were evaluated at a minimum 9-year follow-up, according to the abstract, with linear penetration for radiographs being measured through use of Martell’s computerized technique.
According to the study results, traditional polyethylene demonstrated a postoperative penetration rate of 0.098 mm per year. Highly crosslinked polyethylene, meanwhile, demonstrated a rate of 0.037 mm per year — a 62% comparative decrease that correlated, Jo said, with previous data showing a 59% wear decrease at the 5-year mark.
“At 9 years, X-rays show that highly crosslinked polyethylene demonstrates marked reductions in wear when compared to traditional polyethylene,” Jo concluded. “Highly crosslinked polyethylene is a step forward in the evolution of bearing surfaces … the concern about the brittle material causing catastrophic failure has not been well founded at this point.”
Reference:
- Jo MJ, Calderon SL, Roth NJ, Zelicof SB. Nine-year comparative study of highly crosslinked and traditional polyethylene in total hip arthroplasty. Paper #305. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting. Feb. 7-11. San Francisco.
- Disclosure: Jo has no relevant financial disclosures.
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