Long-term effects of alumina components in total hip prostheses.

Six pairs of alumina components of Ceraver-Ostéal total hip prostheses, which were implanted from nine to 12 years, were studied. In the load-bearing areas, the wear takes the form of relief polishing. The depth of wear, after a running-in period, is less than 0.

Wear analysis of retrieved alumina heads and sockets of hip prostheses.

The wear behavior of hip prostheses alumina components was studied on 20 retrieved implants removed for socket loosening. The observed wear takes two forms: a running-in of the mating surfaces and a gross disruption of the surfaces. The running-in is very shallow, in the order of 0.

The use of dense alumina-alumina ceramic combination in total hip replacement.

The purpose of this article was to review the laboratory and clinical performances since 1970 of a total hip prosthesis using alumina-alumina combination. The chemical and physical properties of dense alumina ceramic were studied in relation to biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and surface properties. Through the examination of 35 retrieved implants, it was found that the long-term success of alumina-alumina total hip replacement depends on both the ceramic microstructure (small grain size with uniform distribution, minimum porosity, absence of inclusions) and implant geometry (sphericity deviation +/- 1 micron, radius tolerance between components 7-10 microns).