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Adult Reconstruction
intermediate
X-Type

Bearing Surfaces and Tribology

Biomaterials

A 52-year-old active man is undergoing counseling for total hip arthroplasty. He is concerned about implant longevity and wants to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different bearing surfaces. His surgeon discusses options including conventional polyethylene, highly cross-linked polyethylene, ceramic-on-ceramic, and metal-on-metal. Regarding bearing surfaces in total hip arthroplasty:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

Conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has excellent biocompatibility but pr...

B

Vitamin E-infused HXLPE combines cross-linking with antioxidant protection to maintain mechanical pr...

C

Conventional polyethylene produces no wear debris; highly cross-linked polyethylene has improved fra...

D

Ceramic-on-ceramic bearings (alumina or delta/zirconia-toughened alumina) have the lowest wear rates...

E

Metal-on-metal (MoM) bearings produce cobalt and chromium ions that can cause adverse local tissue r...

Answer the questions to see explanations

Click T (True) or F (False) for each option