Early failure of sequentially annealed polyethylene in total knee arthroplasty

Improvements in the processing of polyethylene have led to a dramatic reduction in wear rates in total hip arthroplasty. This led to the adoption of modern highly cross-linked polyethylene in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the differences in modes of wear and failure between total hip arthroplasty and TKA have tempered expectations regarding similar decreases in polyethylene-related complications in TKA. We present a case of early catastrophic failure of a modern sequentially irradiated and annealed highly cross-linked polyethylene insert only 5 years after contemporary cementless TKA.