Relationship Between Gravimetric Wear and Particle Generation in Hip Simulators: Conventional Compared with Cross-Linked Polyethylene

Abstract

Summary

Hip-simulator studies have shown reduced gravimetric wear rates for inert-gas gamma-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene when compared with conventional ethylene-oxide-sterilized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

Analysis shows a greater number of particles generated from inert-gas gamma-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

This study was undertaken to examine particle-generation rates of polyethylene with different levels of cross-linking and to correlate them with gravimetric wear data.

Particle-generation rates did not correlate with gravimetric wear rates. Particle analysis should be performed to predict the in vivo behavior of bearing surface materials.

Cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene subjected to 10 Mrad (100,000 Gy) of gamma irradiation generated significantly fewer particles than ethylene-oxide-sterilized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene; it also demonstrated a 96% reduction in the volume of particles.