In Chapter 7 the wear characteristics of retrieved implants, revised due to wear or aseptic loosening, are described. The wear rate was calculated.
The damage of the polyethylene was located and quantified. The results were correlated with the primary diagnosis, body weight and the service life of the implant. The metal components were judged for damage due to metal-on-metal contact or screw loosening and other signs of damage.
To analyze the consequences of screw loosening, we analyzed the wear rate, wear modes and amount of wear in all sections of the polyethylene in knees that had had screw loosening and knees that had not.
In recent years, researchers have observed wear on the backside of retrieved polyethylene inserts. The backside of the retrieved inserts of the SKI prosthesis was analyzed for the presence of wear, and the patterns of wear were studied.