Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study
Published on: November 6, 2015
A case-control study of prosthetic implants and selected chronic diseases in Medicare claims data
1Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
Purpose:
In an exploratory case-control study of a private insurance-claims database, Greenland and Finkle (Ann Epidemiol. 1996;6:530-540) observed associations of certain prosthetic nonbreast implants with certain connective-tissue and neurologic conditions. We wished to test these associations using the same design with new data.
Methods:
We examined these associations in a case-control analysis of Medicare claims data. To control for possible confounding effects of surgery, our analysis examined nonimplant surgeries of severity similar to implant surgeries.
Results:
We again found associations of silicone and metal implants with connective-tissue and neurologic conditions, but we also found similar associations of carpal-tunnel surgery with those conditions.
Conclusions:
Possible explanations for these findings include confounding by presurgical conditions. Therefore, we recommend further studies be done in which such conditions can be measured and controlled.
