Precooling an acetabular liner makes its insertion into a metal shell easier

Temporary shrinkage of an acetabular polyethylene liner due to precooling could reduce the force required to snap the liner into its metal shell. This study documented cooling and heating rates of liners with a particular locking mechanism design, determined forces required to seat liners in their shells as a function of temperature, and quantified the force surgeons can exert with their thumbs when seating a liner. It took up to 8 minutes to cool 58- and 70-mm liners in an ice-water bath from room temperature to near 0 degrees C, and up to 24 minutes to subsequently warm these liners to near body temperature. Forces required to seat liners were greater at room and body temperatures than at 0 degrees C. Liners precooled to 0 degrees C required insertion forces that could be generated manually by surgeons.