Osteonecrosis of the humeral head treated by core decompression.

Core decompression is one treatment used for symptomatic osteonecrosis of the humeral head. The purpose of this report was to examine the long term outcome of this procedure. Sixty-three shoulders in 43 patients who underwent a core decompression for humeral head osteonecrosis were followed up from 2 to 20 years (mean, 10 years).

Technique for acetabular liner revision in a nonmodular metal-backed component.

Use of a new technique for revising the acetabular liner when approaching a revision of a nonmodular metal-backed component is described. An overview of the method, its rationale, and 2 case reports are presented.

Toxicology and biocompatibility considerations in the evaluation of polymeric materials for biomedical applications.

It is necessary to determine the safety of polymeric materials through laboratory and animal testing before biomedical use can become more widespread. This article describes many of the methods used in analyzing the toxicology and biocompatibility of potentially important biomedical polymers. The study method used in the development of an important new class of polymeric materials for human use, the poly(anhydrides), is presented from laboratory bench to human clinical trials.