Elevated Serum Cobalt With Metal-on-metal Articulating Surfaces
- 1 March 1997
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume
- Vol. 79 (2) , 316-321
- https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620x.79b2.7326
Abstract
We determined serum cobalt levels in 55 patients by atomic absorption spectrophotometry before and after implantation of uncemented total hip arthroplasties. In a randomised, prospective trial 27 wrought Co-28Cr-6Mo-0.2C metal-on-metal articulations were compared with 28 ceramic-on-polyethylene hips which did not contain cobalt. Other sources of iatrogenic cobalt loading were excluded. The metal-on-metal group produced detectable serum cobalt levels (median 1.1 microg/l after one year) which were significantly different (p < 0.0001) from those of the ceramic-on-polyethylene control group (median below detection limit of 0.3 microg/l after one year). Our findings indicate that metal-on-metal bearings generate some systemic release of cobalt.Keywords
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