Wear of a composite ceramic head caused by liner fracture.

Third-generation composite ceramics (eg, Delta; DePuy Orthopaedics, Warsaw, Indiana; Ceramtec, Plochingen, Germany) have greatly improved material characteristics compared with second-generation products. This case report presents a patient after total hip arthroplasty with a fractured ceramic liner and a heavily worn ceramic head (both third-generation ceramics) retrieved 9 months after surgery. The patient showed no symptoms in the involved hip but presented to the hospital because of other symptoms.

Osseointegration of multiphase anodic spark deposition treated porous titanium implants in an ovine model.

Modification of titanium oxide by multiphase anodic spark deposition (ASD) has the potential to increase bioactivity and hasten osseointegration and biological fixation in uncemented arthroplasty. This study assessed the in vivo performance of control (Ti), plasma-sprayed HA-coated (TiHA) and ASD (Biospark) treated (TiAn) porous titanium implants with a solid core using a standard uncemented implant fixation sheep model. Cortical interfacial shear-strength and bone ingrowth in cortical and cancellous sites were quantified following 12 weeks in situ.

Anodic Spark Deposition treatments to increase reliability of Ti6Al4V modular prostheses.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an Anodic Spark Deposition treatment, which assures increased resistance of titanium alloys to fretting corrosion, improves the structural reliability of Ti6Al4V modular hip prostheses, thus preventing the recently noticed in vivo mechanical failures of these components due to fatigue events.

Methods: Three commercial treatments were tested in this work. Microhardness, roughness and fatigue resistance measurements were carried out to investigate the treatment performances.

Comminuted periprosthetic humeral fracture after reverse shoulder prosthesis.

Periprosthetic fractures represent a severe complication after joint replacement. A case of comminuted displaced humeral fracture around the stem of a SMR reverse shoulder prosthesis is reported. The patient was a 81-year-old lady who had had a total shoulder replacement 28 months previously.