Polyethylene Wear Debris Produced in a Knee Simulator Model: Effect of Crosslinking and Counterface Material Available to Purchase

Polyethylene (PE) debris has been examined in total hip replacements from clinical retrievals and laboratory simulator studies, but little is known about PE debris from total knee replacements. In this study we investigated the effects of crosslinking PE and the counterface material. Mildly and highly crosslinked PE were studied in combination with CoCr and Zirconia femoral components. Wear was determined by gravimetric measurements and the wear debris was isolated and morphologically characterized. Although the zirconia counterface with 7 Mrad PE did not exhibit measurable wear, wear debris was found. This indicated that wear occurred below the limits of the gravimetric approach. This study showed that the amount of crosslinking of PE and the counterface material were important factors in the wear of PE in a knee simulator model.