Should HXLPE Be Considered the Gold Standard for THA? (AAOS 2014)
Since its development, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the primary bearing option for total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE), which was introduced in the 1990s, has generally demonstrated superior wear properties to UHMWPE in clinical and laboratory studies.
“At our institution, we have been using HXLPE implants since 1999,” said John Mutu-Grigg, MD, a clinical fellow at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, Canada. “We undertook this study to review our results with the use of first generation HXLPE implants.” Yesterday, Dr. Mutu-Grigg presented the results of “A Decade of Experience with Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene in Total Hip Replacements: A Review of 1,484 Cases.”
To investigate the issue, Dr. Mutu-Grigg and his colleagues conducted a retrospective review of a prospective database on all cases of HXLPE liners carried out at a single institution between 1999 and 2007. They used validated clinical outcome scores, including the SF-12, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Harris Hip...
