The Biotribology of PEEK-on-HXLPE Bearings Is Comparable to Traditional Bearings on a Multidirectional Pin-on-disk Tester.

CONCLUSIONS: Our in vitro pin-on-disk data suggest that all-polymer bearings, especially PEEK-on-HXLPE bearing couples, may represent a viable alternative to traditional bearings with respect to their wear performance. Our results warrant further testing of all-polymer bearing couples in physiologically relevant joint simulator tests.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The in vitro pin-on-disk wear resistance of all-polymer bearings incorporating PEEK-on-HXLPE warrants further investigation using joint simulator testing for their validation as useful, metal-free alternatives to traditional CoCr-on-HXLPE bearings for use in orthopaedic applications.
PMID: 27457625 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research - July 24, 2016 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Baykal D, Siskey RS, Underwood RJ, Briscoe A, Kurtz SM Tags: Clin Orthop Relat Res Source Type: research