Abstract
The wear of polyethylene sockets in Muller and Bioceram type hip prostheses was determined by radiographic measurement. The study materials included 162 Müller prostheses with Cobalt-Chromium (Co-Cr) alloy femoral heads (32-mm diameter), and 68 Bioceram prostheses with alumina ceramic femoral heads (28-mm diameter) . The follow-up period was 10 years after replacement.
Annual linear wear rate was 0.098 and 0.121 mm/year in the Müller and Bioceram groups, respectively. There were no demographic factors that significantly affected polyethylene wear. In both the Müller and Bioceram groups, significantly higher wear was observed in the patients with greater bone resorption.
Alumina ceramic heads were not preferable to metallic heads in relation to the polyethylene wear. Factors affecting polyethylene wear do not seem to be related to the type of prosthetic head emnloved.
