Patent ID: 8652212

Claim:
An acetabular component configured for use in a hip replacement surgery, the acetabular component comprising: a porous layer configured to contact and interface with bone tissue when the acetabular component is implanted; an inner layer formed from an antioxidant stabilized crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and having a thickness of less than six millimeters, said inner layer configured to receive a femoral component; and an interdigitation layer defined by the distance over which said antioxidant stabilized crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene of said inner layer infiltrates pores of said porous layer, wherein the antioxidant stabilized crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene is prepared by a process that includes combining ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene with an antioxidant to form a blend; processing the blend to consolidate the blend, wherein the consolidated blend has a melting point; preheating the consolidated blend to a preheat temperature below the melting point of the consolidated blend; and irradiating the preheated consolidated blend while maintaining the consolidated blend at a temperature below the melting point of the consolidated blend; wherein the antioxidant is substantially uniformly distributed throughout the antioxidant stabilized crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.