Ferrographic analysis of wear particles in arthroplastic joints

Analysis of aspirated synovial fluid appears to be a useful method for the study of the rates, mechanisms, and biological responses to wear in surgical joint replacements. Ferrography, an industrial technique of magnetic separation of particulate matter from samples of lubricating solutions, allows separation of wear debris from synovial fluid. Bichromatic microscopy and SEM X-ray analysis permit identification of metallic particles from arthroplastic joints. Polarized light microscopy characterizes and differentiates polyethylene and polymethacrylate debris. The number and morphology of the wear particles in synovial specimens from arthroplastic joints correlate with the rate and the mechanisms of wear, as confirmed by examination of the implant and the adjacent synovial tissue.