Despite the fact that total hip replacement is one of the most successful surgical procedures for treatment of a variety of end-stage hip diseases, the process of osteolysis and implant loosening remains a significant problem, especially in young and high-demand patients. More than 40 years ago, ceramic bearings were introduced due to their mechanical advantage in order to obtain a reduction in wear debris, and due to the conviction that it was possible to minimize friction and wear owing to their mechanical hardness, high chemical stability, surface lubrication by fluids and low friction coefficient. Together with excellent mechanical properties, ceramics have a biological inertness: eventual ceramic debris will lead to a reactive response with a high predominance of fibrocystic cells, rather than macrophagic cells, and absence of giant cells, which is ideal from a biological perspective. As a consequence, they will not trigger the granulomatous reaction necessary to induce periprosthetic osteolysis, and this clearly appears to be of great clinical relevance. In recent years, tribology in manufacturing ceramic components has progressed with significant improvements, owing to the development of the latest generation of ceramic composites that allow for an increased material density and reduced grain size. Currently, ceramic-on-ceramic bearings are considered the attractive counterparts of ceramic- or metal-on-polyethylene ones for patients with a long life expectancy. The aim of this paper is to report the results of total hip replacements performed with a ceramic-on-ceramic articulation made from a ceramic composite in a single center, focusing on its usefulness in specific preoperative diagnosis.

Nowadays total hip arthroplasty (THA) is widely considered the operation of the century in orthopedic and traumatological fields. Despite this fact, instability and dislocation after THA are a common reason for revision surgery. The purpose of this prospective study is to evaluate the preliminary clinical and radiological results of a novel dual mobility cup. We evaluated 32 consecutive cases of patients who underwent THA using a novel dual mobility cup—with holes in the cup, a modular metallic inlay and a crosslinked polyethylene. All of them were considered at risk of instability of the implant due to primary or concomitant diagnosis. The preoperative Harris hip score was 54.7 on average. At a minimum 2 years follow-up, the mean HHS raised up to a mean value of 88.4; this improvement was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). None of the patients enrolled in this study sustained a postoperative dislocation at a mean follow-up of 39.6 months. Furthermore, no patients sustained modular liner dissociation or an intraprosthetic dislocation. As such, survivorship free from dislocation was 100% at both 2 and 5 years. This study demonstrates that the modular dual mobility (DM) socket provides dual articulation, larger jump distance, and greater range of motion before impingement, which significantly reduce the rate of dislocation.