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OrthoVellum

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Not affiliated with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Adult Reconstruction
intermediate
X-Type

Ceramic Bearing THA

Bearing Surfaces

A 52-year-old active male executive requires total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis. He is concerned about implant longevity and wishes to continue golf and tennis. He is otherwise healthy with no history of inflammatory arthritis or AVN. You discuss bearing surface options including ceramic-on-ceramic, ceramic-on-polyethylene, and metal-on-polyethylene. Regarding ceramic bearings in THA:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

Ceramic materials used in THA include alumina (Al2O3 - hard, brittle, excellent wear), zirconia (ZrO...

B

Advantages of ceramic bearings include excellent wettability (fluid film lubrication), scratch resis...

C

Ceramic materials are soft and ductile; zirconia is the most stable ceramic; Biolox Delta is inferio...

D

Disadvantages include risk of ceramic fracture (reduced with modern Delta ceramics to less than 0.01...

E

In revision surgery, if the ceramic liner is scratched, a metal head should not be used (accelerated...

Answer the questions to see explanations

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