The researchers used the hospital’s database, which is one of the largest archives of failed joint replacements, to study MoM hip implants with the hope of devising better implants in the future. In addition to the metal-on-metal element, the report also suggests that the physical structure of the implant could play a part in the failure; the design allows for bigger implant heads which increases instability, among other issues.
The researchers examined 44 patients who received metal-on-metal total hip replacements and found the most common revision diagnoses was osteolysis and adverse soft tissue reactions. Approximately 98 percent of the patients showed damage to the cups of the implant and 93 percent showed moderate to severe scratching of the head.
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