Corrosion of Modular Junctions in Femoral and Acetabular Components for Hip Arthroplasty and Its Local and Systemic Effects
SourceThis paper reviews findings of previous and ongoing studies in our laboratories concerning the nature of corrosion in femoral and acetabular component modular junctions and its local and potential systemic effects. Corrosion of head-neck and neck-stem junctions generates ionic and particulate metallic products with the potential for adverse local tissue response, including a particle-induced macrophage response and a lymphocyte-dominated response to cobalt or chromium complexes resulting in widespread necrosis of the periprosthetic tissues. In addition to local effects, both particulate corrosion products and metallic ionic complexes can disseminate widely via lymphatic and hematogenous transport to remote organs where their long-term effect are incompletely understood.