Traumatic breakage of the ceramic head of prosthesis in total hip replacement

The authors describe breakage of the 32 mm alumina AL2 O3 ceramic head in 3 cases of total hip replacement using two different models of prosthesis (Charnley-Müller and Mittelmeier). All three patients were of average height, weight, and activity (Brown et al., 1985; Callaghan et al., 1988), and the breakage had been caused by an accidental fall. The same mechanism of injury, in people the same age as our subjects, can cause femoral neck fractures. Reoperation was necessary in order to replace the component. The implants all appeared to be positioned correctly, and the patients had reported no symptoms. Before the trauma that caused breakage, there had been no other injuries worth noting. All patients were satisfied with their hip replacements.