Stemmed TKA in a femur with a total hip arthroplasty: is there a safe distance between the stem tips?

When a stemmed TKA is needed in a femur in which a THA is already present, choosing an appropriate length for the TKA stem is crucial. Many surgeons intuitively fear that the distance between the stem tips correlates with the femur risk for fracture (RF). However, to date, no biomechanical data to support this intuition are available.

Pulsed plasma deposition of zirconia thin films on UHMWPE: proof of concept of a novel approach for joint prosthetic implants.

Wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been recognized as the main cause for long-term revision in joint arthroplasty. A new approach to overcome this detrimental issue is here presented: zirconia (ZrO) thin films were directly deposited onto the surface of UHMWPE by Pulsed Plasma Deposition (PPD) technique. The obtained films were structurally, morphologically and mechanically characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation tests, respectively.