High risk of complications using metal heads after ceramic fracture in total hip arthroplasty
Olmedo-Garcia, N. I., & Zagra, L. (2019).Hip
Background:
There is some uncertainty about the bearing to be used to substitute a broken ceramic. Using metal components (head or liner) may lead to catastrophic wear of the metal.
Aim:
The purpose of this article is to describe the long-term follow-up result of ceramic fracture replaced with metal-on-polyethylene (MoP).
Methods:
We report 3 cases of ceramic head fracture after ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) total hip arthroplasty (THA) in which the broken ceramic was replaced with MoP.
Results:
All cases developed severe complications due to gross wear of the metal head: one developed a pseudotumour after a few months while the other 2 had significant local metallosis and toxic blood metal levels.
Conclusions:
When there is a fracture of a ceramic component, we advise caution with the use of metal heads, as small ceramic fragments can cause 3rd-body wear with massive metal debris and severe local and general complications.
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