BACKGROUND: Recent registry data reveal that modular-neck hip prostheses are associated with increased revision rates compared to fixed-neck stems. Poor implant survival has been associated to corrosion at the neck-stem junction, inducing metal ion release and subsequently adverse local tissue reactions. Data on metal ion release on the neck-stem junction of such stems are scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate corrosion at this interface by determining metal ion release.
METHODS: Serum and whole blood metal ion levels of 40 patients after 1 year of implantation of a modular-neck stem (titanium stem and cobalt-chromium neck) were compared with 10 patients with a monobloc version of the stem (all titanium) and 10 patients having no implant at all.
RESULTS: Seven of 40 patients (18%) with a modular-neck stem had cobalt or chromium concentrations >2 μg/L. These patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging using metal artifact reduction sequences, which revealed a pseudotumor in 1 patient.
CONCLUSION: Corrosion at the neck-stem junction of modular-neck stems is a reported phenomenon, which is in part reflected by elevated systemic ion levels. The use of such implants should be restricted to a minimum, and screening algorithms of patients with such implants must be developed.