Catastrophic Failure of the Acetabular Polyethylene Liner in Ceramic-on-Polyethylene Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Introduction: Catastrophic polyethylene failure is a rare complication of ceramic-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty due to the favorable tribological characteristics of ceramic. Failure of the polyethylene liner can be disastrous, increasing periprosthetic osteolysis, metallosis, and risk of dislocation. Complications associated with ceramic-on-polyethylene articulations have been studied extensively, however, only few reports have described its catastrophic wear.