Researchers studied 54 patients who were randomized to receive either conventional hip liners or highly cross-linked polyethylene liners from Zimmer. At the seven-year follow-up, the average total femoral head penetration was significantly lower in the cross-linked polyethylene group.
The average steady-state wear rate of the highly cross-linked polyethylene was 0.005 mm/year, compared with the 0.037 mm/year reported in the conventional polyethylene. None of the patients with the highly cross-linked polyethylene had a wear rate above the osteolysis threshold, while 9 percent of patients in the conventional group did.
Read the abstract about polyethylene for hip surgery.
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