An in vitro investigation of diamond-like carbon as a femoral head coating

Wear of polyethylene acetabular components of hip implants is a significant clinical problem. In prosthetic hip surgery, polyethylene wear is identifi ed as a factor that limits the life of the implant; it is known that the pr oduction of debris can cause adverse tissue reactions that may lead to exte nsive bone loss around the implant, and consequently loosening of the fixat ion. A new class of so-called Diamond-Like Carbon coatings, applied to tita nium femoral heads was compared to ceramic and metallic heads in terms of w ear behavior against UHMWPE using a hip joint simulator with a bovine calf serum lubricant. A thin film of Diamond-Like Carbon was deposited directly onto titanium (Ti6A14V) head using chemical vapor deposition. The wear of p olyethylene coupled with Diamond-Like Carbon coated femoral heads was compa rable to that obtained with the polyethylene coupled with commercial alumin a femoral heads. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.