Abstract
The use of the KYOCERA Alumina Bearing Surface Cup (ABS Cup) with a ceramic-on-ceramic bearing surface was stopped because of problems with the device.
We report two cases of failure of total hip arthroplasty (THA) involving ABS cup breakage.
In the first case, the patient, a 39-year-old man, had femoral head necrosis, and underwent a left THA with the ABS cup. Fracture of the alumina inlay occurred two years after the operation without trauma. The patient underwent revision surgery and fracture was found to have occurred mainly on the peripheral portion of the inlay. In the second case, the patient, a 69-year-old woman, had bilateral osteoarthritis of the hip, and underwent bilateral THA with the ABS cup. Seven years after surgery, the ABS liner dissociated from the metal shell. At revision surgery, the alumina inlay was found not to have a fracture, and the polyethylene rotation prevention mechanism had failed.
Patients who have undergone THA with the same system should be observed meticulously throughout the clinical course.
