In vivo comparison of traditional vs. highly crosslinked polyethylene wear

Highly crosslinked polyethylene is an alternate bearing material designed to improve wear performance and reduce particle disease. Hip simulator data demonstrates that warm irradiated annealed (WIAM) polyethylene has improved wear compared to traditional polyethylene. The aim of this study was to compare the in vivo wear performance of WIAM highly crosslinked polyethylene and traditional UHMWPE. We hypothesize that in vivo wear rate of WIAM highly crosslinked polyethylene is greatly reduced compared to traditional polyethylene.