Comparative surface examinations on corund blasted titanium implants and explants in total hip arthroplasty

Introduction: Blasting techniques using corundum to create rough surfaces are used in many different processes for the surface treatment of hip implants. Recent evidence points an association between residual particles and early loosenings in the sense of third-body wear. Materials and method: The surfaces of five unused, original-packaged CLS stems and ARR-Titan supporting rings, respectively, were compared with five explanted CLS stems and ARR-Titan supporting rings. Results: The surface of the ARR-Titan supporting rings was adhered to Al₂O₃ particles at 23.2±2.5% on the implants and 12.3±3.0% on the explants (P<0.0001). For the CLS stem, the surface to which Al₂O₃ particles adhered was 16.4±2.2 % on the implants, whereas the surface to which Al₂O₃ particles adhered was 12.4±3.3% on the explants (P=0.0275). Discussion: The results of this study show that corundum particles can be found to cover a high percentage on rough-blasted titanium surfaces of ready-to-use devices. In contrast, this contamination is significantly less on the explants treated in an identical fashion prior to implantation.