ABSTRACT
Improvements in surgical technique, prevention of infection, selection of materials, and refined methods of fixation have resulted in a total joint replacement procedure that is one of the most cost-effective means of restoring joint mobility and function (1). The vast majority of patients receiving joint replacements will have greater than 20 years of pain-free functional outcome and the success of this procedure has also increased societal expectations. Increasing numbers of joint replacements are being performed in a younger, more active patient population, which place higher demands on the components and need them to last for a longer life span. It is not surprising then that the survivorship of total hip replacements (THRs) in young, active patients is significantly reduced (2). There is thus a crucial need to understand the mechanisms by which joint replacements fail, and further to develop implant components, surgical procedures and therapies which improve the life span durable of these replacements.
