Ceramic On Metal Hip Resurfacing

Now at imperial we re running a trial of a ceramic hip implant the h1 to resurface patients hips without using metal.

Ceramic on metal hip resurfacing.

A new type of implant may change that as it s made out of ceramic instead of the traditional metal. Polyethylene had been tried but the volumetric wear associated with the necessarily large head for resurfacing resulted in the pseudo tumors of the day osteolysis and the five year survivorship. It includes a safety study followed by an efficacy study. Unlike traditional hip replacement hip resurfacing doesn t completely replace the ball of the hip with a metal or ceramic ball.

In a total hip replacement the entire hip joint is replaced with an artificial one. Ceramic on metal com ceramic on ceramic coc ceramic on polyethylene cop ceramic hips are made of specialized and more durable versions of the same type of material that plates and bowls are made from. A sub type of a polyethylene hip is made with a newer plastic called cross linked polyethylene which is more durable. Among the advantages of ceramic hip replacements are their durability and that they don t release metal debris into the body which can occur with metallic artificial hips.

We hope this means the advantages of hip resurfacing are kept while the. Ceramic hip replacement systems made of durable ceramic oxides of metal offer both advantages and disadvantages over hip replacement systems made of metal or polyethylene. He said as far as the surgery goes it is not a trial it just means picking up the ceramic prosthesis rather than the metal one he has used in the past the surgery. Ceramic on ceramic was a non starter the components were too thick for a conservative arthroplasty and brittleness and fracture was an issue.

Many surgeons today consider them to be an improvement over traditional metal and plastic implants in which the deterioration of plastic can lead to the gradual buildup of debris around the joint. Ceramic hip implants are among the newer types of prostheses being used for hip replacement offering greater resistance to damage and smooth movement of the joint. My colleague professor justin cobb at imperial college london is the leading proponent of ceramic on ceramic bearings for hip resurfacing and his design is currently in clinical investigation. The surgeon i am going to only does hips and has done a lot of metal on metal hip resurfacing he said it makes up 5 of his practice so i am fairly confident in his skill set.

As these metal surfaces rub together there is the potential for wear and release of metal ions. Instead the bone is reshaped and capped with a metal prosthesis. The hip socket is fitted with a metal cup.