Background:
Dislodgment of the polyethylene liner is an increasingly common
complication following total hip arthroplasty. The purposes of this
study are to present the results in a series of patients with this complication
and to analyze the mode of failure.
Methods:
Between November 1995 and January 2001, eighteen patients who
had had a total hip arthroplasty presented with dislodgment of the
polyethylene liner from a Harris-Galante metal acetabular shell. The
medical records, radiographs, operative notes, and retrieved components
were reviewed. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was used
to study the fractured surfaces in a shell that had four broken
tines.
Results:
The components had been in situ for an average
of seven years (range, three to eleven years). Seventeen components
were second generation, and one was first generation. Symptoms developed
spontaneously in sixteen patients, during sexual intercourse in
one, and following a fall on the hip in one. Radiographs showed
eccentric positioning of the head in all of the hips and broken tines
in six. All of the shells were well fixed. Treatment consisted of
revision of the shell in four patients, exchange of the liner in
four, cementation of a new liner into the shell in seven, and cementation
of an all-polyethylene cup in three. The liners had severe damage
of the rim. Scanning-electron microscopy of the fractured surfaces
of four tines revealed a fatigue pattern.
Conclusions:
We believe that, as the liner wears and becomes loose because
of an inadequate locking mechanism, progressive micromotion occurs
and the load increases on the polyethylene rim until it deforms and/or
fractures. Subsequently, nothing prevents the liner from rotating
out of the shell. As this mechanism of failure appears to include
fatigue failure of the locking tines and wear of the liner, this
complication is likely to increase as the components age in
situ.