Why use Ceramics!
The current theory among doctors and authors is that failure of
total hip replacements is directly dependent on the amount of wear of
the implant. One reason this reltionship exist is because the amount of
wear results in loosening of the implant. Ceramics offer a better
alternative to traditional materails because they have a smaller wear
rate.
One of the drawbacks of ceramics is that their long term results are
not yet known. In addition, ceramic hip replacements have
demonstrated 'catastrophic failure', similar to traditional ceramic
dishes. This is due to the hard and brittle nature of ceramics
resulting in the material being crackable. However, with new advanced
ceramics this problem has become less of a problem and the chances of
catatrophic failure are very small.
© 2007 Dhondup Pemba