ORS 2012 Poster - Material and Clinical Performance of Remelted HXLPE in TKA

Reference:
D. MacDonald, G. B. Higgs, J. Parvizi, G. Klein, M. Hartzband, H. Levine, M. Kraay, C. Rimnac, S. M. Kurtz. Material and Clinical Performance of Remelted Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene Used in Total Knee Arthroplasty. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Vol. 37, Poster 1999, San Francisco, California, 2012.
Keywords:
Remelted, HXLPE, Prolong, TKA, oxidation, surface damage
Permissions:
This conference poster is made available on uhmwpe.org with permission of the author. The conference abstract can be viewed on the ORS website (members only).

Abstract

Knowledge regarding the in vivo damage mechanisms and oxidative stability of remelted HXLPEs in the knee remains incomplete. Researchers from Drexel University hypothesized that due to the reduced free radicals, remelted HXLPE tibial inserts would have lower oxidation levels than gamma inert-sterilized controls. 186 posteriorly stabilized tibial components were retrieved at consecutive revision surgeries at 7 different surgical centers. 69 components were identified as remelted HXLPE (Prolong, Zimmer) while the remainder (n=117) were conventional gamma inert sterilized polyethylene. Remelted HXLPE inserts exhibited lower oxidation indices as compared with conventional inserts. However, we were able to detect slight regional differences within the HXLPE cohort, specifically at the bearing surface.

A PDF of the conference abstract can be viewed on the ORS website (members only).

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