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Updated: May 9, 2026
Novel Diagnostics in Revision Arthroplasty: Implant Sonication and Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: December 3, 2017
[Characteristics of 200 patients with suspected implant allergy compared to 100 symptom-free arthroplasty patients]
P Thomas1, K Stauner, A Schraml
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Frauenlobstr. 9-11, 80337, München, Deutschland. Peter.Thomas@med.uni-muenchen.de
Background:
Data on implant allergies are incomplete; therefore, we compared the data on allergy history, patch test (PT) and lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) results in a patient series from the Munich implant allergy outpatient department with symptom-free arthroplasty patients.
Patients And Methods:
In this study 200 arthroplasty patients with complaints involving the prosthesis (130 female, 187 knee and 13 hip prostheses) and in parallel 100 symptom-free patients (75 female, 47 knee and 53 hip prostheses) were investigated. A questionnaire-aided history including implant type, cementing, intolerance of dental materials, atopy, cutaneous metal intolerance (CMI) and PT, including a standard series with Ni, Co, Cr, seven bone cement components, including gentamicin and benzoyl peroxide and LTT for Ni, Co and Cr.
Results:
In the knee arthroplasty patients with complaints 9.1% showed dental material intolerance, 23.5% atopy, 25.7% CMI, 18.2% metal allergies, 7.4% gentamicin allergy and 27.8% positive metal LTT (mostly to Ni). In symptom-free patients 0% showed dental material intolerance, 19.1% atopy, 12.8% CMI, 12.8% metal allergy, 0% gentamicin allergy and 17% positive metal LTT.
Conclusions:
Characteristics of the patients with complaints were increased intolerance of dental materials, higher rates of atopy, CMI, metal and gentamicin allergy and LTT reactivity.