The articulating couple PE-PMMA as a 'wear-model'

The situation, described in this casuistry, shows the fatal consequences of the huge amount of wear particles from the PE-PMMA-components of a total h ip prosthesis. The prosthesis had been implanted in Russia. It was made of a PE-ball fixed to a titanium stem and a socket, which had been molded intr aoperatively in situ. The combination of PMMA and PE in the bearing surface caused an extrem osteolysis in the proximal femur and the acetabulum and t he loosening of the cup and the stem within only a few months.