10 research outputs found
Wear at the Tibio-Femoral articulation of the Total Knee Replacement
Background: Despite improvements in manufacture, sterilization and storage of tibial inserts, polyethylene
wear continues to restrict the survivorship of total knee replacements. The problem is
particularly evident in the young population undergoing knee arthroplasty.
Aims and Methods:
The objectives of the thesis were to ascertain:
• If polyethylene wear may be reduced by utilizing scratch resistant femoral coats.
• The timing of significant femoral scratching in the laboratory setting
• If retrieved femoral components exhibited scratches and whether the roughening of
the components is significant
Results:
• Both zirconium oxide and titanium niobium nitride femoral coats provided scratch
resistance. However, no polyethylene wear benefit was conferred by the titanium
niobium coat.
• Significant scratching was noted as early as 100 cycles.
• Retrieval specimens exhibited femoral scratching which were of the same orientation
of those noted from the simulator studies. Not all condyles had significant
roughening.
Conclusions:
Improving the scratch resistance of femoral components has the potential to improve the
longevity of total knee replacements. However, alternate bearing surfaces should be used
with caution, as the standard modern day knee replacement allows reproducibility and good
mid to long term results which are lacking for alternate bearings. Improvements in
polyethylene wear may be achieved by engineering a femoral coat that reduces abrasive,
adhesive wear and delamination or by optimizing the ultra high molecular weight
polyethylene components
Custom prosthetic replacement for distal radial tumours
We analysed the results of 24 cases of aggressive benign and malignant tumours of the distal radius treated by resection and prosthetic replacement between 1995 and 2006. Patient ages ranged from 18 to 74Â years, averaging 33Â years; 18 were males. Recurrent giant cell tumour was the most common tumour. The prosthesis used was a bipolar hinge custom mega prosthesis manufactured locally. Average follow-up was 78Â months. The average Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) functional score achieved was 75%. The ten-year prosthesis survival was rate 87.5%. Infection was the most common complication