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THA With Delta Ceramic on Ceramic: Results of a Multicenter Investigational Device Exemption Trial

  • Symposium: Papers Presented at the Hip Society Meetings 2009
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

An Erratum to this article was published on 07 January 2010

Abstract

Although the published studies on the outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed with currently available ceramic components show high survivorship and low bearing wear at midterm followup, concern over ceramic fracture and squeaking persist. For these reasons, the use of ceramic is limited. Recently, a new alumina matrix composite material (Delta ceramic) with improved material properties was developed to address these concerns. We report the early outcomes and complications of a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial of 263 patients (264 hips) at eight centers, comparing a Delta ceramic-on-ceramic (COC) articulation with a Delta ceramic head-crosslinked polyethylene bearing combination (COP). There were 177 COC hips and 87 COP hips. Complications were reported for all patients, whereas clinical and radiographic results were provided for the 233 patients with minimum 2-year followup (average, 31.2 months; range, 21–49 months). The Harris hip scores and clinical, radiographic, and survivorship outcomes were similar in both groups. There were four (2%) revisions in the COC group and two (2%) in the COP group. We encountered three intraoperative ceramic liner-related events. In addition, one patient receiving the COC underwent revision for chipping of the ceramic liner, and a second had ceramic fragmentation on followup radiographs but has not undergone revision. These liner related complications remain a concern. No patient reported squeaking in either group; this leaves us hopeful the new material will lessen the frequency of squeaking. In the short term, the Delta COC articulation provided similar functional scores and survivorship and complication rates with the ceramic head mated with crosslinked polyethylene.

Level of Evidence: Level I, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank additional surgeons and study coordinators (listed respectively by site) who were critical to the study design, enrollment, and followup of this patient cohort: William L. Bargar, MD, and Andrea Hankins (Sacramento, CA); C. Anderson Engh, Jr, MD, Charles A. Engh, Sr, MD, and Supatra Sritulanondha, MPH (Alexandria, VA); Theodore Firestone, MD, and Wayne McBride (Scottsdale, AZ); Robert Molloy, MD, and Lisa Hegemier (Cleveland, OH); Charles Nelson, MD, Craig Isrealite, MD, and Karunya Manikonda (Philadelphia, PA); and David Pollock, MD, and Charlene Cash (Winston-Salem, NC). Study coordinators affiliated with the authors include Donnis Rafferty, CCRC (Denver, CO) and Cheryl Seeley, RN, CCRC (Columbus, OH). Independent radiographic review was performed by Jonathan P. Garino, MD, and Denise Knox (Philadelphia, PA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute, 2501 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22306, USA

    William G. Hamilton MD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London Health Sciences Center, London, ON, Canada

    James P. McAuley MD

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Douglas A. Dennis MD

  4. University of Colorado Health Sciences Centers, Denver, CO, USA

    Douglas A. Dennis MD

  5. Rocky Mountain Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, Denver, CO, USA

    Douglas A. Dennis MD

  6. DePuy Orthopaedics, Warsaw, IN, USA

    Jeffrey A. Murphy MS

  7. University of California Davis, Sutter General Hospital, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Thomas J. Blumenfeld MD

  8. Cardinal Orthopaedic Institute, Columbus, OH, USA

    Joel Politi MD

Authors
  1. William G. Hamilton MD
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  2. James P. McAuley MD
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  3. Douglas A. Dennis MD
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  4. Jeffrey A. Murphy MS
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  5. Thomas J. Blumenfeld MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to William G. Hamilton MD.

Additional information

One or more of the authors (WGH, TJB, JP) are consultants for DePuy Orthopaedics; one or more authors (JPM, DAD) are consultants for DePuy Orthopaedics and receive royalties; one author (JAM) is an employee of DePuy Orthopaedics; and one author (DAD) receives institutional support from DePuy, Zimmer, and CeramTec. Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11999-009-1214-y

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Hamilton, W.G., McAuley, J.P., Dennis, D.A. et al. THA With Delta Ceramic on Ceramic: Results of a Multicenter Investigational Device Exemption Trial. Clin Orthop Relat Res 468, 358–366 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-009-1091-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-009-1091-4

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