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Traumatic ceramic femoral head fracture: an initial misdiagnosis
Mohammad H Fard-Aghaie1, Mustafa Citak, Joao Correia
1Orthopaedic Department, Helios ENDO-Klinik Hamburg, Germany.
Background And Purpose:
Ceramic heads are widely used in modern total hip arthroplasty (THA). Although a rare complication, fractures of ceramic heads are described in the literature, evoking uncertainties regarding the in vivo stability of this material, especially when impaction of a fractured ceramic head can lead to disastrous results.
Methods:
In this case report, we present a fracture of a ceramic head after trauma. A misinterpretation of the initial radiographs led to severe fragmentation of the ceramic head two weeks after the incident, later resulting in complete destruction of the arthroplasty.
Results And Interpretation:
Remarkably, radiographs obtained more than one year after the trauma led to this delayed diagnosis. A single radiographic evaluation, especially in patients with persistent pain after major trauma, with a ceramic head in a THA, seems to be insufficient.
