What are some of the advanced wear-reducing materials available for revision hip surgery?
OXINIUM◊ Oxidized Zirconium
Ceramic on ceramic
Metal on metal
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew
OXINIUM◊ material is a metal alloy whose surface has been transformed into smooth, hard, black ceramic. This remarkable surface reduces wear like a ceramic but beneath the surface it is still solid metal and thus retains all of the metal component’s strength characteristics. The ceramic surface makes OXINIUM◊ implants 4,900 times more abrasion resistant than standard cobalt chrome. It also reduces friction between the implant and the plastic or cartilage surfaces. The result is superior durability over time.
With an OXINIUM◊ hip replacement, the ball is replaced with an OXINIUM◊ femoral head and the socket is replaced with cross-linked plastic. This reduces wear by 98%1, 2 in laboratory testing when compared to traditional metal on plastic hip replacements. The OXINIUM◊ surface also reduces the concern for metal wear particles that can occur from metal on metal hip replacements and brittle fractures which sometimes occur with ceramic on ceramic hip replacement. Talk with your orthopaedic surgeon to learn more about OXINIUM◊ hip replacements and to find out if they are right for you.
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew
1. Good V, Ries M, Barrack RL, Widding K, Hunter G, Heuer D, Reduced Wear with Oxinium Ziconium Femoral Heads, JBJS in print, 2003.
2. Scott M, Morrison M, Mishra SR, Jani S, A Method to Quantify Wear Particle Volume Using Atomic Force Microscopy. ORS Transactions Vol. 27 2002 (Dallas, Texas) 132.
3. Clarke IC, Good P, Schroeder D, Anissan L, A. Stark, Oonishi H, Schuldies J, and Gustafson G. Ultra-low wear rates for rigid-on-rigid bearings in total hip replacements. Proc Inst Mech Eng [H]. 2000; 214(4):331-47.
4. MacDonald, S.J. MD, McCalden, R.W. MD, Chess D.G. MD, Bourne, R.B. MD, Rorabeck, C.H. MD, Cleland, D. BScN; Leung, F. PhD +: Metal-on-Metal Versus Polyethylene in Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research. 1(406):282-296, January 2003.