WEAR IN UNCEMENTED POROUS AND CEMENTED POLYETHYLENE SOCKETS - A RANDOMIZED, RADIOSTEREOMETRIC STUDY

We used radiostereometric analysis to compare wear rates between uncem ented porous sockets and cemented all-polyethylene sockets in a series of 102 hips randomised for either a Harris-Galante or a Charnley cup, Wear was evaluated in 95 hips at a mean of five years (2 to 7). All h ips had a cemented, 22 mm head mono-bloc Charnley stem. The mean annua l wear rate was 0.09 mm in the Charnley sockets and 0.10 mm in the Har ris-Galante sockets, with no statistically significant differences in wear, migration or rotation. We conclude that, up to five years, the w ear characteristics of the modular and porous Harris-Galante socket re semble that of the Charnley socket.