Determinants of polyethylene wear and the related tissue response
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comprehensive analysis of determinants of polyethylene wear and the related tissue response to improve outcomes in total hip arthroplasty.
IRAS ID
361831
Contact name
Peter Wahl
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Basel
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
Tissue reactions to wear particles, with consecutive formation of osteolysis and loosening of the components, remains one of the main issues limiting long-term outcomes after hip replacement. Technical solutions have evolved in two directions trying to mitigate the issue of wear: either hard-on-hard bearings (metal-on-metal or ceramic-on-ceramic) or using highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) sockets. Due to the higher tolerance of hard-on-soft bearings, hip replacement is performed most often using a (HXL)PE sockets. Inferred evidence from various national arthroplasty registries indicates that material specificities within each bearing category influence relevantly the long-term revision risk after hip replacement.
No intervention is necessary for study purposes. Retrievals of the hip devices are to be collected at revision hip replacement, instead of being discarded. To assess confounding factors for wear and oxidation, some routinely available patient-related data have to be collected. Analysis is to be performed on encrypted data.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/1772
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion