Catastrophic Early Failure and Fragmentation of a Modern Moderately Cross-linked Polyethylene Acetabular Liner

A 60-year-old man who underwent uncomplicated staged bilateral total hip arthroplasty for femoral head osteonecrosis presented with mechanical catching of his left total hip arthroplasty 3 years after index surgery. Radiographs revealed eccentricity of the left femoral head, concerning the failure o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nadim Barakat, BA, James A. Browne, MD, Quanjun Cui, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-08-01
Series:Arthroplasty Today
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352344123000663
Description
Summary:A 60-year-old man who underwent uncomplicated staged bilateral total hip arthroplasty for femoral head osteonecrosis presented with mechanical catching of his left total hip arthroplasty 3 years after index surgery. Radiographs revealed eccentricity of the left femoral head, concerning the failure of a modern moderately cross-linked polyethylene liner. Catastrophic polyethylene liner failure with significant wear, fragmentation, and femoral head abrasion was noted during revision surgery. The original liner and head were replaced, and the patient has exhibited no complications, pain, or difficulty ambulating 6 months postoperatively. This report highlights one potential novel mechanism for the failure of the Exactech Connexion GXL liner (Exactech Inc., Gainesville, FL), an implant recently reported to have a higher-than-expected failure rate, potentially due to insufficient packaging and increased oxidative processes.
ISSN:2352-3441