Can a 'pre-worn' bearing surface geometry reduce the wear of metal-on-metal hip replacements? - A numerical wear simulation study

摘要

Total Hip Replacement (THR) is generally a highly successful treatment for late stage hip joint diseases and wear, however, wear continues to be one of the major causes of metal-on-metal THR's failure. Hip replacements typically experience a two-stage wear; a higher initial wear rate in the beginning followed by a lower steady-state one with the surface profile changed. This alludes to the potential use of a cup with a non-spherical interior cavity with an initial geometry similar to a worn surface which may benefit from lower wear rate. In this paper wear is numerically simulated with a cup having a non-spherical geometry inspired by the initial stage of wear.