Overall , there was a notable enhancement of joint function after the procedure , with a satisfactory mid- and long-term survival of the ceramic components , which is comparable to that of the conventional alloy components reported previously .
However , revision due to aseptic loosening , wear , and component fracture appeared to be rare , demonstrating the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in the TKA procedure .
Conclusions Ceramic TKA implants show similar post-operative clinical results and survival rate compared to their conventional metallic counterparts .
Our results confirmed the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in TKA , with rare implant breakage and aseptic loosening .
Purpose Ceramic bearings have been widely used in total hip arthroplasty ( THA ) , which result ed in satisfactory clinical outcomes due to the excellent tribological characteristics of the implants .
However , ceramic components are not commonly used in total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) because of brittleness .
This study aim ed to gather and analyze information regarding the clinical outcomes ( including survival without revision , causes of revision , functional outcome , and incidence of loosening ) and reach a definitive conclusion about the use of ceramic femoral components in total knee arthroplasty .
Oxidized zirconium femoral component for TKA: a follow-up note of a previous report at a minimum of 10 years.
BACKGROUND New bearing surfaces for  total knee replacement  have been described in an attempt to reduce polyethylene wear and secondary osteolysis and improve longevity of implants .  Oxidized zirconium is a new material that combines the strength of a metal with the wear properties of a ceramic . However , there are no reports as to who documents the long term results . We report a 10 year follow-up note of a selected series of TKAs with an oxidized zirconium femoral component . METHODS We prospect ively follow 98 TKAs performed in 94 patients with an oxidized zirconium femoral component . Five patients ( 5 knees ) had died and 6 ( 6 knees ) were lost to follow-up at a minimum of 2 years ( mean , 6.3 years ; range , 2 - 9 years ) after the operation . For the remaining 83 patients ( 87 knees ) , the minimum follow-up was 10 years ( mean , 11.3 years ; range , 10.0 - 12.6 years ) . In 51 cases ( 58.6 % ) , a cruciate-retaining implant with a deep-dished , more conforming PE was used , and in 36 cases ( 41.4 % ) , a posterior-stabilized design was used . The patellae were resurfaced in 32 cases ( 36.7 % ) and in 55 cases ( 63.3 % ) were left unresurfaced . RESULTS Survivorship was 97.8 % at 10 years postoperatively . Two knees were revised for aseptic loosening of the femoral component . No major complication was observed clinical ly or radiologically . Mean Knee Society score improved from 36 to 84 and functional score from 37 to 83 . CONCLUSIONS Oxidized zirconium femoral component in TKA performs well over the first 10 years following implantation , with excellent survival rates and good clinical and radiological outcomes . LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level IV , therapeutic study
Overall , there was a notable enhancement of joint function after the procedure , with a satisfactory mid- and long-term survival of the ceramic components , which is comparable to that of the conventional alloy components reported previously .
However , revision due to aseptic loosening , wear , and component fracture appeared to be rare , demonstrating the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in the TKA procedure .
Conclusions Ceramic TKA implants show similar post-operative clinical results and survival rate compared to their conventional metallic counterparts .
Our results confirmed the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in TKA , with rare implant breakage and aseptic loosening .
Purpose Ceramic bearings have been widely used in total hip arthroplasty ( THA ) , which result ed in satisfactory clinical outcomes due to the excellent tribological characteristics of the implants .
However , ceramic components are not commonly used in total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) because of brittleness .
This study aim ed to gather and analyze information regarding the clinical outcomes ( including survival without revision , causes of revision , functional outcome , and incidence of loosening ) and reach a definitive conclusion about the use of ceramic femoral components in total knee arthroplasty .