Oxidized zirconium ― a potentially longer lasting hip implant

摘要

Because younger more active patients are receiving total hip replacements it is necessary to develop materials, which would increase the life span of the implants and challenge their wear potential under adverse conditions. Oxidized zirconium (OxZr) is a metal with the surface transformed to ceramic by oxidation that offers low fracture risk and excellent abrasion resistance. This study compared wear of polyethylene (non-irradiated and highly-crosslinked) with OxZr and CoCr heads under smooth and rough (clinically relevant) conditions. Wear was up to 15-fold less when coupled with OxZr than with CoCr, demonstrating that OxZr heads should increase clinical implant longevity.