Early catastrophic acetabular failure in Furlong total hip replacements.

The use of uncemented hip arthroplasty prostheses with ceramic articulations are popular, especially in the young, because of a perceived reduction in wear. We highlight a complication of ceramic on polyethylene articulating couples not previously described in the Furlong replacement. Despite widespread metalosis and particulate debris, osteolysis was not initially seen.

The correlation between immediate radiolucent lines and early implant migration in cemented acetabular components.

Periacetabular radiolucent lines (RLLs) on postoperative radiographs have been associated with early loosening of the acetabular component. It has also been shown that excessive migration of an implant corresponds to an increased incidence of later clinical failure. This study relates RLLs on anterior-posterior hip radiographs taken 10 days and 6 months postoperatively to implant migration detected by roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis.

Insertion of tantalum beads in RSA of the hip: variations in incidence of extra-osseous beads with insertion site.

Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) is a technique that can be used to measure the in-vivo micro-motion of the components of hip arthroplasty. It requires the insertion of tantalum beads into the bone permitting analysis of the radiographs. Extra-osseous beads reduce the usable bead pattern and previous studies have reported their incidence in the proximal femur as between 11% and 13% of all inserted beads.