What Is The Best Material For A Hip Replacement?

The current thinking of most plastic surgeons is that cross-linked polyethylene bearing fossae combined with ceramic or metal femoral heads have the best track record. There are also some good data supporting the use of implants with ceramic femoral heads and ceramic bearing fossae, but there is not much long-term clinical follow-up of these implants.

The differences between the use of ceramic and metal femoral heads with cross-linked polyethylene inserts have not shown to be significant. There are some reasons why surgeons may choose ceramic femoral heads, especially in younger patients, but the reality is that so far it has not shown much difference.

Four Bar Hip Joint

When renewal is not better

It is always tempting for patients and surgeons to be attracted to the newest implants on the market. Often, orthopedic manufacturing companies advertise that these implants are better than those currently available and may last longer.

One of the major problems with joint replacement implants is that they often enter the market with little or no clinical research. While patients may assume that any new implant has undergone extensive clinical testing, the reality is that most implant manufacturers use a mechanism known as the 510(k) pathway to bypass the FDA's regulatory approval process. As long as manufacturers can state that a new device is "substantially equivalent" to existing devices on the market, they can be allowed to sell a new implant without providing any clinical data.

Stainless Steel Single Axis Mechanical Hip Joint

Innovation and the development of better hip replacement implants is an ongoing process, but unfortunately, not every step of innovation is beneficial to patients. In most cases, one should not seek out the latest treatment on the market. Choosing a replacement implant with a good track record may mean you don't get the latest type of implant, but it may still mean you get the best implant.

Not every patient wants to know the hip replacement material that will be implanted during their surgery, but some are very interested. In addition, your joint replacement surgeon is interested in the materials used during your procedure, so don't hesitate to start a conversation with him or her and find out.

The best available evidence suggests that hip replacements last the longest when the femoral head is made of ceramic or metal and the acetabular socket is made of cross-linked polyethylene or ceramic. The implants with the longest available records are those made with metal femoral heads and cross-linked polyethylene acetabular sockets.

There is no doubt that hip replacement materials will continue to evolve in the years and decades to come. However, extra care should be taken whenever new implants are brought to market.