Dw. Hahn et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF SUBMICRON POLYETHYLENE WEAR DEBRIS FROM SYNOVIAL-FLUID SAMPLES OF REVISED KNEE REPLACEMENTS USING A LIGHT-SCATTERING TECHNIQUE, Journal of biomedical materials research, 31(3), 1996, pp. 355-363
The objectives of this study were to determine whether submicron-sized
ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) wear debris was pre
sent in synovial fluid surrounding knee implants, and to report on the
utility of a light-scattering technique for the in situ analysis of s
ubmicron-sized wear debris. The measured light-scattering coefficients
of the implant synovial fluid samples were significantly larger than
the coefficients of the control samples (p < 0.0001). The enhanced lig
ht scattering was attributed to the presence of submicron UHMWPE parti
cles. This is consistent with light-scattering considerations and a Ra
man spectroscopy survey of synovial fluid. The mean particle volume fr
action of UHMWPE was 1.11 x 10(-5) cm(3)/mL for the six implant sample
s, with mean particle diameters in the range of 200-300 nm. The UHMWPE
volume fractions were found to differ by a factor of 2 between the os
teolytic and nonosteolytic cases. The current findings warrant further
work to determine the role of submicron polyethylene debris in the we
ar mechanisms of biomaterials and in the development of osteolysis fol
lowing total knee replacement. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.