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Is the use of thin, highly cross-linked polyethylene liners safe in total hip arthroplasty?

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An Erratum to this article was published on 09 June 2016

Abstract

Purpose

Due to the high number of total hip arthroplasties (THA) revised due to instability, the use of large femoral heads to reduce instability is justifiable. It is critical to determine whether or not large femoral heads used in conjunction with thin polyethylene liners lead to increased wear rates, which can lead to osteolysis. Therefore, by using validated wear-analysis software, we evaluated linear wear rates in a consecutive cohort of patients who underwent primary THA with thin polyethylene liners.

Methods

All patients were selected from a consecutive, prospectively collected database of 241 THAs performed at a single institution by two fellowship-trained joint-reconstruction surgeons between July 2007 and June 2011. These patients were 1:1 matched to a cohort of patients who had conventional-thickness polyethylene liners.

Results

No significant differences were observed between linear wear rates of thin or conventional-thickness liners. The Kaplan–Meier survivorship for both cohorts was 100 %, and no cases of polyethylene fracture were observed in either cohort.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that according to a mean follow-up of 4 years, the use of thin liners in THA is promising. Longer follow-up is required to assess whether these outcomes are observed later.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21215, USA

    Julio J. Jauregui, Todd P. Pierce, Randa K. Elmallah, Jeffrey J. Cherian, Ronald E. Delanois & Michael A. Mont

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Qais Naziri

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  1. Julio J. Jauregui
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  2. Qais Naziri
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  6. Ronald E. Delanois
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  7. Michael A. Mont
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Correspondence to Michael A. Mont.

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Jauregui, J.J., Naziri, Q., Pierce, T.P. et al. Is the use of thin, highly cross-linked polyethylene liners safe in total hip arthroplasty?. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 40, 681–686 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-015-2841-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-015-2841-4

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