High failure rate of the R3 metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty

The early- to medium-term results of a hemispherical, porous coated acetabular shell with multiple different bearing combinations are excellent with the exception of metal-on-metal

PURPOSE

This study prospectively reports survivorship and radiographic and clinical outcomes following primary elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a novel single hemispherical, porous-coated acetabular cup with five different bearing combinations and a minimum of five year follow-up.

METHODS

Continuing post-market release monitoring of this cup, we prospectively enrolled 108 patients (121 THA) between 2009 and 2015. We followed this cohort by examining survivorship, in addition to clinical and radiological outcomes for metal-on-metal (MoM) compared with non-MoM bearing combinations (ceramic-on-ceramic, oxinium-on-polyethylene, ceramic-on-metal, and metal-on-polyethylene).

RESULTS

All 108 (121 hips) patients were followed up. Average age at time of surgery was 45.1 years (range 19 to 71 years) of which 42.1% were males. A total of seven (5.8%) cups were revised, all of which were MoM. No osteolysis was observed in any of the patients at the latest visit with a mean follow-up of 9.1 ± 1.7 years (range 4.4-10.7 years). With MoM excluded, survivorship of the cup at five  years is 97.8%. Survivorship for MoM implants was 90.0%. Validated hip scores showed significant improvements for all bearing types and no significant difference between groups at latest follow-up (p = 0.614). There was no cup migration with any bearing surface.

CONCLUSION

This cup showed excellent survivorship at five year follow-up, except for patients receiving a MoM articulation. While there were concerns over the early survivorship of this cup, our cohort and joint registry data confirm excellent outcomes.

Midterm Results of a Contemporary, Porous-Coated Acetabular System in Patients Undergoing Primary Total Hip Replacement for Degenerative Hip Disease: A Prospective, Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

A contemporary, porous-coated acetabular implant designed for uncemented insertion was introduced in Europe and Australia in 2007. A similar previous acetabular system was found in several studies at 10 to 15-year follow-up to demonstrate accelerated polyethylene wear, osteolysis, and early failure. The current study was conducted to determine the midterm safety and effectiveness of this contemporary acetabular system using highly crosslinked polyethylene and ceramic liners at 5-year follow-up.

METHODS

A prospective, nonrandomized study was conducted at 8 sites in Canada and the United States. All 148 study participants received a contemporary acetabular shell with proprietary porous coating. The primary outcome was the requirement for revision surgery at 5 years postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included a survival analysis, patient-reported outcome measures, radiographic failure, and postoperative adverse events.

RESULTS

At 5-year follow-up there was 1 cup revised for deep infection. No cups were revised for loosening and none were found to be radiographically loose. The overall survival rate with reoperation for any reason was 97.1%. The success rate was 96.8% for polyethylene and 100% for ceramic with no difference in the success rate between either bearing surface (P = 1.0). The mean patient-reported outcome measures all improved significantly between preoperative and 5-year postoperative scores (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Results from this 5-year, multicenter, prospective study indicate excellent survivorship for this acetabular system when used with crosslinked polyethylene or ceramic bearing surfaces.

A Mid- to Long-Term Follow-Up Experience with a Specific Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Arthroplasty Design

Purrpose  Metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been a subject of recent discussion and concern due to the early failures caused by local and systemic adverse reactions related to specific designs. The aim of this study is to analyze the outcomes and survival rates of a single brand of MoM implants implanted in a consecutive series of patients at a single institution.

Methods  Between 2007 and 2012, 116 (118 hips) patients were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 6.6 years after primary THA. The diagnosis leading to surgery was osteoarthritis (80 patients) and proximal femoral fracture (36 patients). A single design of THA was implanted. All patients were evaluated before surgery and postoperatively at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months by clinical scores and radiographic studies. The data analysis was made using Student's t -test.

Results  The minimum follow-up was of 4 years, with a mean follow-up of 6.6 years. Two aseptic loosenings of the acetabular component were recorded (one per group), which were not associated with local or systemic complications related to metal ion release. Both were revised by an isolated acetabular cup substitution with metal-on-polyethylene couplings. Nonprogressive radiolucency lines < 2 mm in zone 2 were observed in other six patients around the acetabular component without clinical manifestation (four in the arthritis group and two in the fracture group). Postoperative Harris Hip Score and SF-36 (36-Item Short Form Survey) score improved in both groups.

Conclusion  Despite several MoM implants showing early complications and failures, a specific MoM design may be associated with good clinical results at a mid- to long-term follow-up.

Level of Evidence  This is a therapeutic case series, Level 4 study.

R3 Cup Does Not Have a High Failure Rate in Conventional Bearings: A Minimum of 5-Year Follow-Up

BACKGROUND

The R3 cementless acetabular system was first marketed in Australia and Europe in 2007. Previous papers have shown high failure rates of the R3 cup with up to 24% with metal-on-metal bearing. There are currently no medium term clinical results on this cup. The aim of the study is to review our results of the R3 acetabular cup with conventional bearings with a minimum of 5-year follow-up.

METHODS

Patients who were implanted with the R3 acetabular cup were identified from our center's arthroplasty database. A total of 293 consecutive total hip arthroplasties were performed in 286 patients. The primary outcome was revision. The secondary outcomes were the Oxford Hip Scores (OHS) and radiographic evaluation.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 69.4 years. The mean preoperative OHS was 23 (range 10-34) and the mean OHS was 40 (range 33-48) at the final follow-up. Radiological evaluation showed an excellent ARA score in all patients at 5 years. None of the R3 cups showed osteolysis at the final follow-up. There were 3 revisions in our series, of which 2 R3 cups were revised. The risk of revision was 1.11% at 5 years.

CONCLUSION

Our experience of using the R3 acetabular system with conventional bearings showed high survivorship and is consistent with the allocated Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel rating of 5A* as rated in 2015 in the United Kingdom.

Fretting and Corrosion Between a Metal Shell and Metal Liner May Explain the High Rate of Failure of R3 Modular Metal-on-Metal Hips

BACKGROUND

The R3 acetabular system used with its metal liner has higher revision rates when compared to its ceramic and polyethylene liner. In June 2012, the medical and healthcare products regulatory agency issued an alert regarding the metal liner of the R3 acetabular system.

METHODS

Six retrieved R3 acetabular systems with metal liners underwent detailed visual analysis using macroscopic and microscopic techniques.

RESULTS

Visual analysis discovered corrosion on the backside of the metal liners. There was a distinct border to the areas of corrosion that conformed to antirotation tab insertions on the inner surface of the acetabular shell, which are for the polyethylene liner. Scanning electron microscopy indicated evidence of crevice corrosion, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed corrosion debris rich in titanium.

CONCLUSION

The high failure rate of the metal liner option of the R3 acetabular system may be attributed to corrosion on the backside of the liner which appear to result from geometry and design characteristics of the acetabular shell.

High Re-Operation Rates Using Conserve Metal-On-Metal Total Hip Articulations

Introduction:

Metal-on-metal hip articulations have been intensely debated after reports of adverse reactions and high failure rates. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the implant of a metal-on.metal total hip articulation (MOM THA) from a single manufacture in a two-center study.

Materials and Methods:

108 CONSERVE^® MOM THA were implanted in 92 patients between November 2005 and December 2010. Patients had at time of retrospective evaluation their journals reviewed for re-operations and adverse reactions.

Results:

20 hips were re-operated (18.4%) at a mean follow up of 53 months. 4 pseudotumors were diagnosed at time of follow up but no substantiated link was made between adverse reactions and re-operations.

Conclusion:

The high re-operation rates found in this study raised concern about the usage of the MOM THA and subsequently lead to the termination of implantation of this MOM THA at the two orthopaedic departments.

Prevalence of Failure due to Adverse Reaction to Metal Debris in Modern, Medium and Large Diameter Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacements--The Effect of Novel Screening Methods: Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis

Metal-on-metal (MoM) hip replacements were used for almost a decade before adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD) were found to be a true clinical problem. Currently, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the usefulness of systematic screening for ARMD. We implemented a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish the prevalence of revision confirmed ARMD stratified by the use of different screening protocols in patients with MoM hip replacements. Five levels of screening were identified: no screening (level 0), targeted blood metal ion measurement and/or cross-sectional imaging (level 1), metal ion measurement without imaging (level 2), metal ion measurement with targeted imaging (level 3) and comprehensive screening (both metal ions and imaging for all; level 4). 122 studies meeting our eligibility criteria were included in analysis. These studies included 144 study arms: 100 study arms with hip resurfacings, 33 study arms with large-diameter MoM total hip replacements (THR), and 11 study arms with medium-diameter MoM THRs. For hip resurfacing, the lowest prevalence of ARMD was seen with level 0 screening (pooled prevalence 0.13%) and the highest with level 4 screening (pooled prevalace 9.49%). Pooled prevalence of ARMD with level 0 screening was 0.29% and with level 4 screening 21.3% in the large-diameter MoM THR group. In metaregression analysis of hip resurfacings, level 4 screening was superior with regard to prevalence of ARMD when compared with other levels. In the large diameter THR group level 4 screening was superior to screening 0,2 and 3. These outcomes were irrespective of follow-up time or study publication year. With hip resurfacings, routine cross-sectional imaging regardless of clinical findings is advisable. It is clear, however, that targeted metal ion measurement and/or imaging is not sufficient in the screening for ARMD in any implant concepts. However, economic aspects should be weighed when choosing the preferred screening level.

Corrosion of Metal Modular Cup Liners

Numerous studies have reported on corrosion at the modular head taper, however less is known about the interface between the metal shell and liner of modular cups. This study examined the backside of a series of metal modular cup liners of two designs (DePuy Pinnacle and Smith & Nephew R3), retrieved from 67 patients. Visual inspection found evidence of corrosion in virtually all liners, with the engaging rim surface significantly more corroded than the polar regions (P<0.001). EDX confirmed that black surface deposits were chromium rich corrosion debris, while SEM analysis revealed considerable pitting in the vicinity of the black debris. The R3 liners were significantly more corroded that the Pinnacles (P<0.001); this may help to explain the higher revision rates of this design.