Aseptic Loosening of Joint Implants
Dror Fuchs, Chaim Zinman, Dina Lewinson
Orthopedic and Traumatology Dept. B, Rambam Medical Center; and Div. of Morphology Sciences, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, The Technion, Haifa
The purpose of orthopedic joint implants is to improve joint movement. Within the past 30 years, biomechanical improvements affecting the life-span of the implants has brought a new type of problem: the biological response to debris from the implant material contributes greatly to aseptic loosening of the prosthesis. The process is mediated by osteotropic factors, cytokines released from mononuclear cells, and osteoblasts and osteoclasts in the bone-cement interface or bone-implant interface.