Evaluation of Prosthetic Implant Degradation

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December 2011

Over a million artificial hips are implanted annually. Recently, a small number of adverse reactions to metal debris have occurred, resulting in significant pain and need for intervention. This problem is related to the use of metal-on-metal implants. Dr. Sierra and Dr. Moyer discuss when a patient should be evaluated for excessive implant wear, the simple serum test that can rapidly identify when a metal-on-metal implant is wearing excessively, and the need for proper specimen collection for a successful evaluation.

Presenter:

• Rafael J. Sierra, MD - Consultant in Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Orthopedics
• Thomas P. Moyer, PhD - Consultant in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Clinical Biochemistry & Immunology

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Related Tests

• CRS/8638 Chromium, Serum
• COS/80084 Cobalt, Serum

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