Case Reports
Delayed Fracture of a Zirconium Head After Total Hip Arthroplasty
Am J Orthop. 2011 February;40(2):E14-E16
Author and Disclosure Information
Dimitrios Samaras, MD, Apostolos Dimitroulias, MD, Sokratis E. Varitimidis, MD, and Konstantinos N. Malizos, MD
Dr. Samaras is Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon, Tzannio Hospital, Athens Greece.
Dr. Dimitroulias is Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Varitimidis is Assistant Professor and Dr. Malizos is Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Thessalia Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
We present a case of fracture of a zirconium head after a cemented total hip arthroplasty. The fracture occurred 81 months after the index operation without any history of trauma. The patient was thin, not participating in sports, and the zirconium head had 0-mm neck length. Preoperative radiographs demonstrated aseptic loosening of both components and significant polyethylene wear. Fracture pattern was unusual as the major fragment was half of the head. A revision was performed to a cementless arthroplasty.