Comparison of one-step and sequentially irradiated ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene for total joint replacements.

Miroslav Slouf, Jiri Kotek, Josef Baldrian, Jana Kovarova, Jaroslav Fencl, Tomas Bouda, Ivica Janigova

Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Heyrovsky sq. 2, 16206 Praha 6, Czech Republic. slouf@imc.cas.cz

Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials 2013 Apr

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Structure and properties of several ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylenes (UHMWPEs), which were crosslinked either by standard, single-step irradiation or by newer, several-step irradiation (sequential irradiation), were compared. To verify the results, the same characterization was carried out for commercially available UHMWPE liners made of sequentially irradiated polymer (X3™, Stryker, Mahwah, NJ) and one-step irradiated polymer (denoted as PE-IMC, produced by Beznoska, Kladno, Czech Republic). The structure was studied by a number of spectroscopic, diffraction, thermal, and microscopic methods. Mechanical properties were assessed by small-punch, microhardness and, wear testing. Our results suggested that sequential irradiation followed by annealing did not lead to unusual structure at the molecular or supermolecular level. Consequently, all measured mechanical properties, including wear resistance, were comparable with one-step irradiated UHMWPEs. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Citation

Miroslav Slouf, Jiri Kotek, Josef Baldrian, Jana Kovarova, Jaroslav Fencl, Tomas Bouda, Ivica Janigova. Comparison of one-step and sequentially irradiated ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene for total joint replacements. Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials. 2013 Apr;101(3):414-22