Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
Imaging of the Microstructural Failure Mechanism in the Human Hip
Published on: September 29, 2023
Fatigue fracture in dual modular revision total hip arthroplasty stems: failure analysis and computed tomography
Pontus Norman1, Srinivasan Iyengar2, Ingrid Svensson3
1Department of Orthopaedics, Skane University Hospital, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Abstract:
We report on two patients with fracture of a modular, tapered and distally fixed, uncemented titanium revision hip stem, not previously described. A failure analysis revealed that the cause of the fractures was the development of fatigue cracks in the mid-stem cobalt-chromium modular junction ending in corrosion-fatigue failure. No material defects or stress risers were found in any of the implants. The diameter of the mid-stem modular junction might be undersized for use in heavy and active patients. We also report a new way of detecting an undisplaced fracture at the modular junction, using the scout image from a computed tomography (CT) scan; a technique that can be used when plain radiographs are inconclusive.
