Review on Ceramic-on-Ceramic Total Hip Arthroplasty

Today, joint replacements are expected to meet greater demands of younger, more active patients and be in service longer than ever before. To meet these demands and reduce the potential for early failure due to osteolysis, alternate bearings surfaces have been developed to minimize the amount of wear in total hip arthroplasties. Improved wear performance, biocompatibility, scratch resistance, a no ion release property, reduced friction, and wettability are characteristics that make ceramics one of the most significant advances in total hip replacement. The manufacturing process for producing alumina ceramic has improved dramatically in recent years, resulting in favorable outcomes. In spite of this, a number of concerns exist. This article describes the incidence and possible causes of various complications associated with ceramic-on-ceramic bearing surfaces. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 17(1):45–50, 2008)