Two to five year follow-up of the LPM ceramic coated proximal interphalangeal joint arthroplasty

This paper presents a retrospective series of 20 LPM semi-constrained ceramic coated cobalt chrome proximal interphalangeal joint arthroplasties performed consecutively in 12 patients for arthritis of the proximal interphalangeal joint by a single surgeon between 2000 and 2004. Eleven were performed for osteoarthritis, four for post-traumatic arthritis and five for rheumatoid arthritis. Although 12 joints had an improvement in pain and an increased functional arc of movement, six joints required revision surgery for implant failure at an average of 19 months, with clinical signs of increasing pain, deteriorating motion and radiological signs of implant loosening and subsidence. This rate of revision is higher than in published series for other PIP joint implants and, therefore, close surveillance of all patients with this prosthesis currently in situ is recommended. Use of the prosthesis has ceased in this unit.