Ceramic liner fracture in ceramic on ceramic Total hip arthoplasty: A case report

Ceramic fragmentation after total hip arthroplasty: two case reports and literature review

Background

Ceramic fragmentation is a rare but serious complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). We reviewed the PubMed literature from 1990 to 2023 and found only 31 case reports of ceramic fragmentation after THA. Our case reports help to expand understanding of this rare complication. We shared our surgical experience and identified an ideal material for revision surgery, which can serve as a useful reference for other orthopedic surgeons to perform ceramic fragmentation revision surgery in the future. We also analyzed the possible causes, diagnosis, and treatment opinions of ceramic fragmentation.

Case presentation

This study presents two cases of ceramic fragmentation after THA. One patient had ceramic head fragmentation 10 years after the primary THA, and one patient had ceramic liner fragmentation 5 years after the primary THA. Both patients presented with pain, and one patient also reported a clicking sound in the hip. The two patients described here had BMIs of 23.7 and 23.1, respectively. Both patients' ceramic fragmentation were due to aseptic loosening, not periprosthetic joint infections, as confirmed by negative microbiological cultures. Radiographic examinations of both patients revealed radio-opaque wear debris around the hip joint prostheses and we describe the surgical protocols and intraoperative findings in both cases in detail.

Conclusion

Our cases and the literature suggest that ceramic fragmentation can occur at any time after THA. The most immediate symptoms are pain and noise, but some patients may be asymptomatic. Ceramic on polyethylene bearings is recommended for revision surgery whenever possible; metal bearings should be avoided.

METAL ION RELEASE ACCORDING TO LEG LENGTH DISCREPANCY IN CERAMIC-ON-METAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY

Objective

The ceramic-on-metal (CoM) bearing has the theoretical advantages over ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) and metal-on-metal bearings. This study aimed to analyze factors affecting the metal ion release of CoM bearings and compare clinical performance with CoC bearings.

Methods

The 147 patients were divided into 96 patients in group 1 (CoM group) and 51 patients in group 2 (CoC group). Additionally, within group1, 48 patients and 30 patients were sub-categorized into group 1-A with leg length discrepancy (LLD) less than 1cm and group 1-B greater than 1 cm. The level of serum metal ions, functional scores and plain radiographs were obtained for the analysis.

Results

The level of cobalt (Co) 2-years after surgery and chromium (Cr) 1-year after surgery showed significantly higher in the group1 than the group2. LLD indicated statistically significant positive correlation between serum metal ion levels among CoM bearing THAs. In comparison of the average metal ions level changes, group 1-B showed higher level of metal ion than group 1-A.

Conclusion

In patients underwent THA with CoM bearings, large LLD have a higher risk of complications associated to metal ions. Therefore, it is critical to reduce the LLD to 1 cm or less in using CoM bearing. Level of Evidence III; Case Control Study.

Early Short-Term Postoperative Mechanical Failures of Current Ceramic-on-Ceramic Bearing Total Hip Arthroplasties

Although ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) bearings have been shown to produce the smallest amount of wear volume in vitro as well as in vivo studies when used for total hip arthroplasties (THA), concerns about the failure of these bearing surfaces persist due to early failures observed after short postoperative time. In this study, an exhaustive analysis of the early failure occurred on the new generation of ceramic bearings, consisting of a composite alumina matrix-based material reinforced with yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) particles, chromium dioxide, and strontium crystals, was performed. For this study, 118 CoC bearings from 117 patients were revised. This article describes a group of mechanical failure CoC-bearing BIOLOX THA hip prosthesis patients without trauma history. The retrieved samples were observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), composition was analyzed with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and damaged surfaces were analyzed by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD) and white light interferometry. In the short term, CoC articulations provided similar mechanical behavior and functional outcome to those in XLPE cases. However, 5% more early mechanical failures cases were observed for the ceramic components. Although the fracture rate of third generation CoC couples is low, the present study shows the need to further improve the third generation of CoC-bearing couples for THA. Despite the improved wear compared to other materials, stress concentrators are sources of initial crack propagation, such as those found in the bore-trunnion areas. Moreover, in view of the evidence observed in this study, the chipping observed was due to the presence of monoclinic phase of the Y-TZP instead of tetragonal, which presents better mechanical properties. The results showed that total safety after receiving a THA is still a goal to be pursued.