Fracture of a BIOLOX Delta Ceramic Femoral Head Articulating Against a Polyethylene Liner: A Case Report

JBJS Case Connect. 2014;4(4):e97. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.N.00040.

Abstract

Case: A forty-five-year-old woman underwent primary total hip arthroplasty with a 36-mm BIOLOX delta ceramic femoral head articulating against a polyethylene liner. She presented with hip pain at eighteen months postoperatively, two months after being in a bicycle accident; fracture of the femoral head was diagnosed.

Conclusion: The possibility of a ceramic femoral head fracture should be decreased with use of the latest generation of ceramic material, a ceramic-on-polyethylene articulation rather than a ceramic-on-ceramic articulation, and a larger head size, all of which applied to this case. Taper-trunnion compatibility and correct intraoperative handling of the components are also essential.