Long-term stability of ceramic composite in total hip arthroplasty

Abstract

Since the year 2000, more than 960,000 ceramic ball heads and 450,000 ceramic inserts of the new high-performance ceramic composite BIOLOX ® delta have been successfully implanted. Due to the unique strength and toughness of this material, the risk of fracture has been substantially reduced when compared to conventional ceramic materials. The outstanding properties of BIOLOX ® delta rely on complex reinforcing mechanisms. Therefore, it is necessary to assess if reinforcement is maintained throughout the lifetime of the artificial joint, which is anticipated to exceed more than 20 years. Like any other material which is intended for surgical applications, the suitability must be evaluated based on multiple approaches, like intrinsic mechanical material properties, biocompatibility, system compatibility and finally in vivo scoring of the surgical outcome.